最近，来自格里菲斯大学的一个研究小组的研究发现或可改变科学家们进行感染性疾病疫苗开发和药物开发的思路，这项研究刊登于国际杂志Proceedings of the National Academy of Science上，文章中研究人员揭示了细胞和大分子相互结合的新方式。
研究者Jennings教授表示，多糖相互作用，即高亲和力的生物分子的相互作用可以介导致病性细菌同宿主细胞的结合，这就表明，细胞上的复杂多糖分子可以同多种疾病的扩散相关；多糖分子间会通过高亲和力的方式进行相互作用，此前研究者认为这种相互作用是不可能的。如今他们发现细胞和大分子之间彼此相互作用是通过细菌的多糖和人类机体的多糖的相互作用来实现的。
为了开发新型药物和疫苗，研究人员必须理解相关的生物学过程，而在此之前我们并不知道这些生物过程已经存在，而且其同时会为开发阻断感染的新型疗法提供机会和思路。随后研究人员在四种不同类型的细菌病原体中揭示了超过60种高亲和力的相互作用，其中就包括空肠弯曲杆菌、鼠伤寒沙门菌、弗氏志贺菌以及流感嗜血菌，这些细菌都可以引发相关疾病，比如肺炎、慢性阻塞性肺疾病以及中耳炎等。
研究者指出，本文研究对于理解细菌引发人类疾病的分子机制提供了一定思路，也为开发阻断细菌和人类多糖相互作用的药物和疫苗提供了一定线索，相信通过后期更多的研究，研究人员可以开发出新型药物、疫苗以及诊断方法来帮助改善感染性疾病的诊断和治疗。
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Glycan:glycan interactions: A new paradigm in biomolecular interactions that can mediate binding of pathogenic bacteria to host cells
Michael Jennings et al.
In a paper published today in prestigious American journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the team led by senior authors Professor Michael Jennings, Professor Victoria Korolik and Associate Professor Renato Morona (University of Adelaide) shows an entirely new way that cells and macromolecules interact together. Professor Jennings said the paper titled, 'Glycan:glycan interactions: High affinity biomolecular interactions that can mediate binding of pathogenic bacteria to host cells', shows that glycans—the complex sugar structures on cells linked to the spread of many diseases—can interact with each other at high affinity. Previous to this paper the interaction was not thought possible, or was considered a weak non-important interaction. "We have discovered an entirely new way that cells and macromolecules interact with each other through interactions between bacterial glycan and human glycans," he said. "To develop new drugs and vaccines you have to understand these biological processes and before this we did not know they existed so this finding opens up the opportunity for a range of approaches we can use to block infections." Professor Jennings said the discovery was also a major contribution to fundamental science as well as the fight against infection disease and it would change the way the scientific community views these interactions in all living systems.