Researchers at University of California, Irvine, engineered lectin proteins that bind tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens with high affinity resembling a velcro mechanism. These lectin-based therapeutics selectively target sugars on cancer cells rather than proteins, overcoming low binding affinity limitations of antibodies and sparing healthy tissues. Such pan-cancer targeting approaches could broaden immunotherapy applicability by focusing on carbohydrate markers common in multiple tumor types.