α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer, KRN7000) is a synthetic glycolipid derived from structure-activity relationship studies of galactosylceramides isolated from the marine sponge Agelas mauritianus.

α-GalCer is a strong immunostimulant and shows potent anti-tumour activity in many in vivo models.

[1] α-GalCer is a potent activator of iNKT cells, and a model CD1d antigen.

[2] In combination with a peptide antigen, α-GalCer is able to stimulate a strong immune response against the epitope.

This adjuvant acts through this cellular interaction, rather than through classic pattern recognition receptor pathways.