Bringing heparan sulfate glycomics together with proteomics for the design of novel therapeutics: a historical perspective

Increasing knowledge of how peptides bind saccharides, and of how saccharides bind peptides, is starting to revolutionize understanding of cell-extracellular matrix relationships. Here, a historical perspective is taken of the relationship between heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans and how they interact with peptide growth factors in order to both drive and modulate signaling through the appropriate cognate receptors. Such knowledge is guiding the preparation of targeted sugar mimetics that will impact the treatment of many different kinds of diseases, including cancer.