Blocking the lectin–glycan Axis to Restore Anti-Tumor Immunity

Elena Laugieri, CiCbioGUNE Center, Spain

 

Host: Filipa Marcelo, UCIBIO NOVA

 

Online Link: https://ucibio.pt/l/GuestSeminars

 

Abstract:

Aberrant glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer, often driven by dysregulated glycosyltransferases and glycosidases. A common alteration is hypersialylation and the accumulation of truncated O-glycans, namely Tn (α-GalNAc-Ser/Thr) and sialyl-Tn (sTn) antigens. These tumor-associated glycans are recognized by immune lectins such as Siglecs and MGL, whose engagement fosters immune tolerance and facilitates tumor evasion.

 

This project aims to restore anti-tumor immunity by targeting immunosuppressive lectins, including Siglecs and MGL using blocking antibodies. 

 

Thus, we have developed a multidisciplinary pipeline to characterize lectin–antibody interactions using biolayer interferometry (BLI) for binding kinetics, NMR and molecular dynamics for conformational analysis, and X-ray crystallography for structural insights. This integrated approach will inform the rational design of glycan-targeted immunotherapeutics to overcome tumor-induced immune suppression.
 

 

 

Short-bio:

Maria Elena Laugieri is a Postdoctoral Researcher at CIC bioGUNE (Derio, Spain), where she has been working since 2022. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry in 2020 from the University of Genoa (Italy), where she investigated the unique glycosylation pathways of giant algal viruses. Her doctoral work focused on the PBCV-1 virus, elucidating the enzymatic mechanisms of the glycosyltransferases A064R and A075L, and successfully determining the crystal structures of A075L in its apo form and in complex with donor and acceptor substrates.

 

Following two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Genoa, she joined CIC bioGUNE founded by the Juan de la Cierva Fellowship, working under the supervision of Jesús Jiménez-Barbero and June Ereño Orbea. Her research integrates glycobiology, protein structural biology, and immunomodulatory lectin–glycan interactions in cancer.

She has developed strong expertise in biochemical and biophysical approaches, including bio-layer interferometry (BLI), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and protein X-ray crystallography, combining structural and kinetic analysis to investigate molecular recognition mechanisms at the immune interface.