Glycan-based drugs, therapies and biomarkers

An array carrier for the identification of a glycan-related target, comprising:

• a) at least one target candidate attached to an array carrier, the target candidate comprises a healthy or diseased cell, tissue, organ, or a particle of a first organism, a first pathogen, a first glycan, a first lectin, a first glycan recognition system, a first antibody, a first sera, a first herb, a first small molecule, or a first toxin;
• b) at least one detection candidate binding to the array carrier, the detection candidate comprises a second antibody, a second sera, a second pathogen, a second glycan, a second lectin, a second glycan recognition system, a second herb, a second small molecule, or a second toxin to the at least one target candidate;
• wherein the at least one detection candidate and the at least one target candidate are different;
• and
• c) the array carrier configured to allow at least one of:
• 1) identification of the at least one target candidate attached or affixed to the at least one array carrier and bound to the at least one detection candidate, 2) identification of the at least one detection candidate bound to the identified target candidate, or 3) identification of a glycan-related target attached or affixed to the identified target candidate and the identified detection candidate.

A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment or prevention of a glycan-related disease comprising:

• at least one glycan-containing molecule;
• or
• at least one antibody or lectin, wherein said antibody or lectin is capable of binding a glycan;
• or
• at least one glycan-modifying product, wherein the glycan-modifying product is an acetyl-, lactyl-, methyl-, phosphate- and sulfur-containing product and, optionally, wherein the glycan-containing molecule is covalently conjugated to the glycan-modifying product.

A method for diagnosing inflammation, cancers or autoimmune diseases comprising;

• detecting the presence of N-Acetylglucosamine in a biological sample of a subject suspected of having an disorder of inflammation, cancer or autoimmune disease;
• wherein an increased amount of N-Acetylglucosamine in said subject compared to the amount or absence of N-Acetylglucosamine in a normal subject is indicative of inflammation, cancer or autoimmune disease;
• and
• N-Acetylglucosamine is detected by immunoassay with a lectin or an antibody, wherein the lectin or antibody is optionally an anti-rotavirus antibody, an anti-influenza viral antibody, or a wheat germ agglutinin.

A method for diagnosing inflammation, cancer or autoimmune disease comprising:

• detecting the presence of antibody or lectin in a biological sample of a subject;
• wherein an increased amount of antibody or lectin in said subject compared to the amount or absence of antibody or lectin in a normal subject is indicative of inflammation, cancer or autoimmune disease;
• and
• said antibody or lectin is detected by an N-Acetylglucosamine binding assay.

A method for rapid evaluation of the safety of vaccines or therapeutic antibodies comprising:

• a) administrating at least one antibody induced by a vaccine, a pathogen, or a therapeutic antibody to a target animal;
• b) comparing the effect of the antibody on at least one of a histology change, cell proliferation, tissue inflammation, tissue damage, dysfunctional signal transduction in the target animal to a control animal that has not been treated with the antibody;
• and
• c) determining the risk of a vaccine or a therapeutic antibody that corresponds to the increased pathogencity of the target animal when a triggering of the at least one antibody induces at least one of the cell proliferation, the tissue inflammation or tissue damage, or the dysfunctional signal transduction of a organ or a tissue of said target animal.