This subgroup of the CFG – Glycans in Cancer Biology – brings together a wide range of investigators, many of whom have overlapping interests and projects. Joy Burchell and I, who are designated the sub group leaders, have focused on the large O-glycosylated mucins expressed by epithelial cells, on the changes which occur in their glycosylation profile in cancer ( particularly breast cancer), and on how the novel glycoforms interact with surface receptors on effector cells of the immune system. These areas clearly overlap with the areas covered by subgroups 2 and 3, and the resources which have been made "available through the scientific cores of the CFG have of course been used across the board.
In aiming to identify opportunities to synergise research efforts – initially within the group – some information regarding the use of the CFG resources and results obtained would be useful. Such a step could also lead us to identify any gaps in the supply of tools which the CFG would like to hear about.
• We ourselves have obtained KO mice from core F defective in expression of glycosyl transferases involved in mucin type O-glycosylation to examine how changes in expression of these enzymes affects tumour development. These experiments are underway.
• The other resource which we have used indirectly through collaboration with Ola Blixt are the glycan arrays ( core D), which are being used for the assay of antibodies to specific glycans in cancer patient sera. This has led to a collaboration with Ola, Michael Hollingsworth and Henrik Clausen to develop and use glycopeptide arrays for antibody detection in a project which is funded by one of the recent grants offered by NCI in collaboration with the CFG.

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