Science in focus

Science in focus
28 October 2016 CCC

In each aCCCent newsletter, we highlight an interesting paper on carbohydrate research. In this issue a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of how human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) have co-evolved with the human immune system.

Human milk oligosaccharides: The role in the fine-tuning of innate immune responses.

LD Kulinich A., Liu L. Carbohydr. Res. 432: 62-70 (2016). doi: 10.1016/j.carres.2016.07.009
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27448325

The review by Kulinich, gives a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of how human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) have co-evolved with the human immune system in order to fine tune immune responses. Although the conclusion is that many aspects of how HMO’s manipulate the immune system still remain to be identified, it emphasizes the importance of using multidisciplinary approaches in research, in which (bio)chemistry and immunology are combined to elucidate the mechanisms involved. And exactly these approaches are present in a unique form within the CCC-consortium!