Galectins in Cancer and Translational Research 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

The unexpected interest that accompanied the Special Issue entitled: Galectins in Cancer and Translational Medicine (IJMS 2018), has led us to launch a new proposal on the same subject with the aim of gathering further information on the role played by galectins in cancer and in a variety of human diseases. Galectins (S-type lectins) are an evolutionarily conserved family of endogenous lectins that bind carbohydrates with high specificity. These molecules are found both intracellularly and in the extracellular milieu and are functionally active in converting glycan-containing information into cell biological programs. As reported in the first Special Issue of IJMS, the galectin signature of human cells likely plays a key role in regulating biological processes that are critical for cell physiology as well as for tumour growth and progression. Furthermore, the interaction of specific galectins with sugar residues on lymphoid cells and cytokines is able to modulate the immune-response. Specific galectins have been detected in different cancer types and represent potential target molecules to be considered for improving cancer diagnosis and for exploring new therapeutic strategies. Diagnostic procedures based on the expression analysis of specific galectins have already been developed and validated for clinical use. For example, galectin-3 expression analysis is widely used in clinical practice for thyroid cancer diagnosis. Interestingly, structural and functional studies on the natural or synthetic molecules able to inhibit specific galectin–glycan interactions are presently being performed in different research laboratories. Clinical trials, spanning from immunology to clinical oncology, are ongoing and promise a large amount of relevant information for translational medicine. For this reason, we are launching this new Special Issue titled: Galectins in Cancer and Translational Medicine 2.0 just in time to collect in advance original preclinical and clinical studies that represent the frontier research in tumor therapy, immunology and translational medicine.

Prof. Dr. Armando Bartolazzi
Guest Editor

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