Nature and origin of carbohydrate mimicry

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A program of research designed to exploit the concept of carbohydrate mimicry is proposed. The concept is of importance because of the need for tighter-binding drugs or more selective vaccine candidates. We have chosen several biologically important targets for the development of drug or vaccine candidates. These include an antibody of importance for the development of a vaccine against dysentry, a critical enzyme (UDP-galactopyranose mutase) necessary for survival of M. tuberculosis (and absent in humans), an enzyme (neuraminidase) critical for the propagation of influenza virus, and an antibody of importance for the development of a vaccine against Group B Streptococcus, the causative agent of meningitis in newborns.