Galectins: emerging glyco-checkpoints linking immune and vascular programs in inflammation and cancer

Gabriel Rabinovich, PhD
Deputy Director | Lab Head
Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IBYME)
 

Professor
School of Exact and Natural Sciences
University of Buenos Aires

This conference is hosted by Javier M. Di Noia, PhD. This conference is part of the 2023-2024 IRCM conference calendar.

In person: 
IRCM Auditorium
110, avenue des Pins O, H2W 1R7 Montreal

About this conference
The responsibility for deciphering the biological information encoded by the glycome – the whole repertoire of glycans in cells and tissues – is assigned to endogenous glycan-binding proteins or lectins whose expression is regulated at sites of inflammation and tumor growth. With the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets in cancer and autoimmune diseases, our laboratory investigates the molecular interactions between glycosylated receptors and glycan-binding proteins, particularly galectins in the control of immune and vascular programs. In the past years, we have identified essential roles for galectin-1, a prototype member of the galectin family, in promoting immune escape in different tumor models and limiting autoimmune inflammatory responses by differentially modulating the fate and function of effector and regulatory T cells and instructing the differentiation of immunosuppressive myeloid cells. Moreover, we identified the contribution of glycosylation-dependent, galectin-driven circuits to mechanisms of resistance of anti-angiogenic and immunotherapeutic modalities. More recently we validated the relevance of the galectin-1-glycan axis in immune-mediated models of neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Thus, galectins may function as regulatory checkpoints that translate 'sugar codes' into immune and vascular signaling programs in tumor and inflammatory microenvironments, highlighting their therapeutic potential in a broad range of pathologic conditions.

About Gabriel Rabinovich
Dr. Gabriel Rabinovich completed his doctoral studies at the School of Chemical Sciences, National University of Córdoba. Currently, he is the Director of the Laboratory of Immunopathology at the Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine in Buenos Aires. He is a Senior Investigator of the Argentinean National Research Council (CONICET) and Full Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires. Together with his group, he identified a novel paradigm based on lectin-glycan interactions that plays a key role in the control of immune and vascular programs. Briefly, he demonstrated that galectins, a family of β-galactoside-binding proteins, can translate glycan-containing information into novel regulatory programs that control inflammation, suppress autoimmune pathology and allow cancer cells to evade immune responses and promote angiogenesis and metastasis. His findings opened new therapeutic possibilities in cancer, chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. He has recently co-founded Galtec Life, a biotechnology Startup, aimed at translating galectin-based discoveries into new therapies for patients with cancer, autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. 

He has published more than 300 articles, several in high profile journals including Cell, Nature, Cancer Cell, Nature Immunology, Nature Medicine, Immunity, Science Advances, PNAS and Journal of Experimental Medicine. His work was recognized with several awards including the Karl Meyer Award, the most important recognition given by the Society of Glycobiology (USA), TWAS in Medical Sciences (Italy), John Simon Guggenheim Award (USA), Outstanding Investigator of the Nation (Argentina), Bunge & Born Award (Argentina), Bernardo Houssay award (Argentina) and Konex Diamond Award to the most outstanding scientist of the decade in Argentina. 

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