Glycomaterials to Investigate the Functional Role of Aberrant Glycosylation in Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a stage IV astrocytoma that carries a dismal survival rate of ∼10 months post-diagnosis and treatment. The highly invasive capacity of GBM and its ability to to escape therapeutic challenges are key factors contributing to the poor overall survival rate. While current treatments aim to target the cancer cell itself, they fail to consider the significant role that the GBM tumor microenvironment (TME) plays in promoting tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. The GBM tumor glycocalyx and glycan-rich extracellular matrix (ECM), which are important constituents of the TME have received little attention as therapeutic targets. A wide array of aberrantly modified glycans in the GBM TME mediate tumor growth, invasion, therapeutic resistance, and immunosuppression. Here, we provide an overview of the landscape of aberrant glycan modifications in GBM, and discuss the design and utility of three-dimensional glycomaterials as a tool to evaluate glycan mediated GBM progression and therapeutic efficacy. The development of alternative strategies to target glycans in the TME can potentially unveil broader mechanisms of restricting tumor growth and enhancing the efficacy of tumor-targeting therapeutics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.