Although the first attempts to characterize structurally glycoconjugates date back to approximately the same period as the Human Genome era, the progress with carbohydrate structures has been relatively slow compared with other biomolecules.  This situation primarily reflects the enormous structural diversity of glycoconjugates, the limited knowledge of their biosynthetic machinery, and a modest number of scientists trained in the field. The rapid rise of proteomic investigations further enhanced the needs to determine structurally the glycan parts of glycoproteins and proteoglycans and their sites of modification in the protein backbones. With the great advances in biomolecular MS, and its respective combinations with capillary LC and CE, the capabilities of glycomic and glycoproteomic investigations have been substantially enhanced. As examples, sensitive techniques for profiling N- or O-glycans in complex biological media and clinical samples have been increasingly recognized in the areas such as precision medicine or a detail structural characterization of biopharmaceuticals. This lecture will briefly summarize some recent analytical advances through the applications of glycomics in cancer research. It will also point to some unmet needs for methodological improvements which include fractionation, preconcentration and derivatization at microscale. It is becoming essential to address even minor components of the highly complex glycan mixtures derived from physiological fluids, tissues and exosome preparations. Resolution of glycan isomers is another area that we are trying to address through various combinations of capillary separations and mass spectrometry.<br/>

Analytical glycoscience: Still a promising field with unmet needs

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.