The present invention relates to a lectin protein, designated MFA isolated and purified from the bark of the Korean legume Maackia fauriei, process for preparing the same and the use thereof. This protein can be used as reagents in the study of carbohydrate binding proteins as well as to examine the distribution of N-acetylneuraminic acid in cancer cells owing to its capability that specifically recognizes N-acetylneuraminic acid which plays important structural and functional roles in the expressions of various cells or oligosaccharide terminal residue of glycoconjugates, and, in addition, used as an anti-cancer drug in view of its anti-proliferation effect against various cancers such as breast cancer, melanoma, hepatoma, etc.