The Glycoimmunology Laboratory, led by Dr. Gabriel Rabinovich and currently based at the CaixaResearch Institute (Barcelona), investigates immunoregulatory circuits mediated by lectinin a wide variety of pathological contexts, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurodegeneration, and infectious diseases. This broad perspective reflects our overarching goal of understanding how glycan-dependent signaling pathways shape immune homeostasis and how their dysregulation contributes to the onset and progression of diseases. Within the framework of the ALIPANC consortium and our cancer-focused research, our work is specifically aimed at elucidating how these signaling pathways modulate immune responses and promote tumor immune evasion, with the ultimate goal of identifying new therapeutic targets.

A central area of research in our laboratory is the role of galectins and other endogenous lectins as key modulators of the tumor microenvironment. These proteins recognize specific glycan structures on glycoproteins and glycolipids, triggering signaling pathways that affect the function of T cells, myeloid cells, endothelial cells, and tumor cells. Through these pathways, lectins can promote immune tolerance, pathological angiogenesis, and stromal remodeling. Previous studies by our group and others have identified a prominent role for several members of the galectin family in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where they contribute to the establishment of a highly immunosuppressive and therapy-resistant tumor microenvironment. Building on this knowledge, our current and future research efforts focus on elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms driven by galectin–glycan interactions in PDAC, as well as on developing innovative strategies to therapeutically target these pathways.