Body, Mind & Spirit Articles and Latest News

Ram Sasisekharan, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
October 25, 2006 at 11 a.m.


Complex carbohydrates called glycans coat the surface of every cell in our bodies, but only recently have scientists been able to probe the structure of these compounds to understand their biological function and how they might be used to prevent or arrest disease. Dr. Ram Sasisekharan and his multidisciplinary team of researchers at MIT have developed a technique for rapidly sequencing these glycans, revealing their structure for the first time. They have discovered that glycans play a key role in the communications between cells that cause cells to divide, migrate and die. Dr. Sasisekharan and his team are pursuing ways to use glycans for diagnostic purposes and to develop alternative carbohydrate-based therapies for a variety of diseases including cancer. Ginseng, heparin and chondroitin have been the focus of recent studies. Please plan to attend and learn more about this new and promising area of research.