Dr. Kurt Drickamer

Biography

Kurt Drickamer is a professor in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, focusing on molecular functions of sugar-binding receptors and their role in cellular recognition events. His research investigates how specific arrangements of sugars decorate cell surfaces and how these sugars interact with proteins released into circulation or attached to cells. Drickamer studies the mechanisms by which glycan structures serve as recognition signals, which are crucial for cell-cell adhesion and the selective removal of proteins from circulation. He explores receptors that bind endogenous carbohydrates, forming the basis of the innate immune system's response to pathogenic microorganisms. His work involves biochemical, biophysical, and molecular biological approaches to understand the functionality of carbohydrate-recognition domains and how mutations in these proteins relate to disease susceptibility. Furthermore, he seeks to elucidate the recognition processes involved in targeting biological functions and how genetic variations in sugar-binding receptors can affect molecular properties contributing to human diseases. The integration of this knowledge with results from genomic resource projects aims to identify novel sugar-binding receptors and expand our understanding of the biological roles of sugar recognition.

Research Interests