Emerging Topics at the Intersection of Glycoscience and Human Health

Cell-surface complex carbohydrates are fundamental cellular components, conserved across the kingdoms of life. Collectively, these carbohydrates, also called glycans, are organized into a peripheral cellular “coat”, termed the glycocalyx. Over the past several decades it has become increasingly clear that the glycocalyx is a key player in a range of pathophysiological processes, with many well-explored areas such as immune surveillance during cancer progression and host-pathogen interactions.

In this research topic, we aim to highlight emerging fields of glycoscience which have the potential to impact human health.

The first focus of this research topic lies on the development of innovative tools to extract information on cellular glycoconjugates. Examples include:
• Strategies for glycan sequencing
• Protein structural determination with appended glycans
• Computational modeling of glycocalyx constituents

The second focus is the integration of glycan-cantered data into the larger framework of the cell, with topics such as:
• Functional genomics to examine glycocalyx state
• Synthetic biology approaches to modulate glycans

The third set of topics focuses on unique aspects of carbohydrate biochemistry which are currently being applied in cellular contexts, including:
• Biophysics/mechanics of carbohydrates
• Free oligosaccharides
• Glycan-glycan interactions
• Glycans in materials science