新型コロナウイルス感染症：重症化を抑える新薬の開発に向けた第一歩を

 

Research Period

 

1 January 2021~31 December 2021

 

●Management Body and Research Site

GlycoTechnica Ltd. Head Quarters/GLI Division

●Collaborating Institutions 

This research will be conducted in collaboration with the following Universities:
Juntendo University
Tokai University

●Use of support funds 
The funds will be used for the purchase of research reagents, development of sugar chains and lectin microarrays, joint research costs (including personnel costs) and a fee for using READYFOR.

Reagents and array development costs: 2,065,00 yen
Joint research expenses (including personnel and overhead costs): 2,000,000 yen
Commission: 935,000 yen
Total required amount: 5,000,000 yen

●Detail
In order to develop a drug that inhibits severe COVID-19, GlycoTechnica Ltd. is collaborating with Juntendo University and Tokai University to jointly conduct a basic research to identify ‘sugar chains’ and ‘lectins’ involved in severe COVID-19 and to reproduce the process of symptoms becoming severe in vitro for one year.
 

 

 

・What are sugar chains?
Sugar chains play an important role in a variety of life phenomenon, including blood types, fertilization, development, immunity, cancer and viral infections. They are referred to as the third life chain following nucleic acids and proteins. Sugar chain is also known as a ‘face of cells’ since it exists on the surface of cells and fluctuates dynamically, as if it were expressing their state and personality. A protein to which several types of sugars are connected like chains and to which sugar chains are added to, is called glycoprotein. Our blood types are classified by the ABO blood group system, which consists of type A, B, AB and O. These differences are due to the structure of sugar chains of the glycoproteins on red blood cells being different for each of the blood types.

 

・What are Lectins?
Lectins are proteins that recognize sugar chains. Lectins are found in a wide variety of plants, animals, seaweeds, bacteria, viruses and many other organisms. One of the methods to investigate the structure of sugar chains, is to estimate its structure by using various glycan binding properties of lectins. Glycan Profiling Analysis developed by GlycoTechnica Ltd. applies such a method.

 

・What are the cells of the innate immune system?
The cells involved in innate immunity include macrophages and dendritic cells. Phagocytes, such as macrophages, recognize invading bacteria and viruses as foreign and attempt to eliminate them by eating them. Dendritic cells process those pathogens as foreign substances and digest them, which are then presented on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system, which are command centres for acquired immunity. Macrophages and dendritic cells have receptors that recognize a variety of molecules involved in innate immunity. The C-type lectin family is known as one of the receptors, but because there are many different types (subtypes) of macrophages and dendritic cells, the C-type lectins expressed by different subtypes also differ.
 

 

 

-The result of this research may not be as expected.

 

-If the analysis and result of the demonstration deviate substantially from predictions, there is a possibility for major changes to be made to the trial or for the trial to be discontinued.
 

 

 

・For more information on conditions with regards to the return for [name listing], please see the ‘Notes on Return’ section of the following link: https://readyfor.jp/terms_of_service#appendix

 

 

▶︎Rewards

 

▶︎How to pledge support for the project: English Guide