Glycans to reprogram the immune response

Glycans are structures composed of sugars or carbohydrates, which are highly abundant on all cells. These molecules serve many functions, including binding and communication between cells, movement of cells and maintenance of tissue structure. Glycans are crucial in immunity, as they form key recognition elements for immune cells to discriminate between innocuous and dangerous entities. Antigen presenting cells are a class of immune cells that possess glycan-recognizing receptors and can communicate this specific information to orchestrate a tailor-made immune response.