Galα Ligands

Galactose (Galα) ligands present the α-anomeric configuration that defines the α-Gal epitope (Galα1-3Gal), the target of abundant naturally occurring human anti-Gal antibodies. This makes α-Gal ligands valuable tools for antibody-recruiting molecule (ARM) therapeutics, in which target cells, pathogens, or biomolecules are decorated with α-Gal to recruit pre-existing anti-Gal IgG and IgM for immune clearance, as well as for xenotransplantation, anti-Gal immunology, and lectin-binding research.

Galα ligands are also recognized by the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) on hepatocytes, although with lower affinity than β-GalNAc, and can be used as a complementary tool for hepatocyte-targeted delivery. Therapeutic payloads can be directly conjugated to Galα ligands or encapsulated in nanoparticles decorated with Galα ligands.

We provide Galα ligands with various functional linkers depending on their intended use.