About this Book

Glycans have long been known to be one of the most abundant biological molecules

in living organisms. They can function as energy compounds, form structural cell

wall/matrix polymers, or exist as oligomers that are attached on proteins, lipids and

natural products to influence their properties and function. Because of their important

biological roles, glycans have great potential for applications in the development of

new drugs, materials, food additives and many other products. However, it is often

difficult to directly obtain glycans from natural sources with ideal properties for

these applications. Thus, modification of glycan structures for desired properties

has emerged as an active area of research. This research area is generally called

glycoengineering.