Blood brothers: Carbohydrates in xenotransplantation and cancer immunotherapy

Abstract

Carbohydrate antigens have a central role in the hyperacute rejection of animal-to-human organ grafts (xenotransplantation) and they are emerging in importance in the immunotherapy of cancer. This article traces the historical origins of the discovery of key carbohydrate antigens and explores the future impact of recent technological advances of the field of glycobiology as it relates to xenotransplantation and cancer. © 2005 Australasian Society for Immunology Inc.