Developing means to quash inflammation is therefore an important goal, and indeed is the target of an ongoing, multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical effort. The hunch was correct. Neoglycopolymers are simple to make and act to halt inflammatory processes in a distinctly different way than do existing anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. While the latter compounds block signaling molecules inside the cell, neoglycopolymers prevent cells from touching each other in the first place. Dr. Kiessling s research should yield valuable insights into cellular processes that hinge upon cell migration, including inflammation, the spread of cancer throughout the body, and perhaps even the way in which bacteria go about their business of infecting people.
Synthetic ligands point to cell surface strategies.