Globo H (human) monoclonal antibody (VK9)

Globo H is a hexasaccharide formed from the pentasaccharide precursor, SSEA3 (stage-specific embryonic antigen 3). It is a member of a family of antigenic carbohydrates expressed on the surface of cancer cells as glycolipids and possibly glycoproteins. Globo H is overexpressed on many carcinomas, such as breast, colon, ovarian, gastric, pancreatic, lung, and prostate. Expression of Globo H in carcinomas include more than half of all ductal, lobular, and tubular breast carcinomas, but not in non-epithelial breast tumors. Cancer stem cells and human embryonic stem cells also express global H, although expression decreases when cells are differentiated toward both neural progenitor cells and to a lesser extent in endodermal lineage cells. Expression in normal tissues is limited to cells composing secretory borders. Globo H is considered a target for immunotherapy of many epithelial cancers.