Raising Health Bioorthogonal Chemistry with Carolyn Bertozzi
12 snips
Nov 26, 2024 Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, renowned for her pioneering work in bioorthogonal chemistry, chats with Jorge Conde about her groundbreaking research. They discuss how manipulating chemical reactions in the body can enhance cancer treatment and drug delivery. Carolyn shares her journey through carbohydrate chemistry during the AIDS crisis, highlighting sugars' dual role in immune responses. The conversation also covers the challenges of translating discoveries into market-ready solutions and insights on bridging academia with biotech innovations.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Sugars and Immunity
- Sugars play diverse roles in the immune system, guiding cell travel, distinguishing self from non-self, and even acting as decoys.
- Cancer cells and viruses exploit sugars to evade immune detection, highlighting the importance of understanding this complex interaction.
Bioorthogonal Chemistry
- Bioorthogonal chemistry involves reactions that don't interact with or interfere with biological processes.
- This allows scientists to perform controlled chemical reactions inside living organisms, including humans, with high reliability.
Cancer's Sugar Cloak
- Cancerous cells display altered sugar patterns, like an overgrown garden, potentially useful for diagnostics.
- These sugars, like sialic acid, not only camouflage cancer cells but actively suppress immune responses by putting immune cells to sleep.