Angata's Lab

Sialic acids are a family of structurally related acidic sugars displayed on glycans that cover the surface of every vertebrate cell. 

Our laboratory is striving to understand how physiological processes in mammals are regulated by the interactions between sialic acids and the proteins that recognize them.

Our current focus is a family of sialic acid-binding proteins called Siglecs, most of which are expressed in the immune system. Previous studies from our laboratory and others have indicated that many Siglecs are involved in human diseases. We are trying to obtain deeper mechanistic insight into the physiological functions of Siglecs, in hope that our studies will eventually lead to the treatment for a disease in which sialic acid and Siglec play a significant role.