National Center for Functional Glycomics

05/10/2026

Our new study reveals SARS-CoV-2 infection causes unpredictable fluctuations in anti-ABO(H) blood group antibodies.
Read the paper at: https://pubs.acs.org/acbcct/article/doi/10.1021/acschembio.6c00447/5439447/Dynamics-of-Anti-ABO-H-Antibody-Expression-in-SARS

AbstractThe association between ABO(H) blood groups and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity has been studied throughout the pandemic. However, the compreh

24/09/2026

Did you know carbohydrates can modify 10 of the 20 amino acids, from GlcNAc-Tyr in tumor cells to Glc-Arg in bacterial signaling?

In our recent interesting fact about glycans, learn about how post-translational modifications of proteins extend far beyond the standard pathways we study in biochemistry textbooks.

Read the full post at: https://research.bidmc.org/ncfg/blog/30-unusual-modification-peptidesproteins-sugars

September 21, 2026 By: Richard D. CummingsOver 500 different post-translational modifications (PTMs) of amino acids in proteins are now recognized (1). Among the many different types of protein modifications, glycosylation is the most common. While we commonly think of a few such modifications, e.g....

14/09/2026

As the field advances, several original ideas change as more information is gathered. In this article by Dr. Richard Cummings, he discusses the changes over the years in 50 paradigms in Glycobiology comparing prior and new paradigms. Read at https://academic.oup.com/glycob/advance-article/doi/10.1093/glycob/cwag077/8785055

Abstract. Modern glycobiology is a result of multiple revolutionary and ground-breaking observations that both challenged and eventually changed prior pers

17/07/2026

🩸 Transforming Immune Monitoring: Introducing the GlycoStrip Platform!
We are excited to share our latest research published in Trends in Biotechnology titled: "Point-of-care GlycoStrips detect serum and salivary antibodies to blood group antigens and pathogens."

Traditional anti-glycan antibody detection relies on complex, centralized laboratory instrumentation. To bridge this gap, our team developed GlycoStrip - a visual, multiplex analytical device containing printed neoglycoproteins, glycoproteins, and viral/bacterial proteins onto a single, accessible platform.

Key Highlights:
- Multiplexed Profiling: Enables rapid antibody profiling to multiple glycan and protein antigens simultaneously, without the need for sophisticated instrumentation.
- Noninvasive/Minimal Invasive Sampling: Successfully validated using both serum and saliva, paving the way for real-time immune health monitoring.
- Broad Versatility: Tested with blood group antigens (neo-glycoproteins), SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins, and E. coli K-12 cells.

GlycoStrip has the potential to decentralize immune monitoring, making personalized medicine and disease management highly accessible for chronic disease patients and underserved populations.

A huge thank you to the co-authors Tianwei Jia, Kelsey Charon, Maxence Noel, Praveen Singh, PhD, Stephan von Gunten, John Roback, Jamie Heimburg-Molinaro, Sean Stowell, and Richard Cummings, to make this possible!

🔗 Read the full open-access paper here: https://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/fulltext/S0167-7799(26)00278-7

We present the development of GlycoStrip, which is a multiplex anti-glycan antibody analysis platform. GlycoStrip incorporates neoglycoproteins and other materials directly printed on nitrocellulose sheets to enable the visualization of anti-glycan antibody repertoires in bodily fluids within minute...

15/05/2026

In our latest Interesting Facts About Glycans titled "Unusual Observations about Microbial, Plant, and Animal Polysaccharides" check out fascinating insights on nature’s most abundant polymers:
🌱 Cellulose remains the likely #1 on Earth.
🦀 Chitin (found in insects & fungi) is a massive biomass contender.
💪 Hyaluronan (HA) is unique—it grows from the reducing end and is linked to cancer resistance and long life!

🌍 Whether it's the starch in your food or the peptidoglycan in microbes, these sugars shape our world.

Read More: https://research.bidmc.org/ncfg/blog/27-unusual-observations-about-microbial-plant-and-animal-polysaccharides

May 14, 2026 By: Richard D. CummingsFive of the most famous giant polysaccharides produced by microbes, plants, and animals are peptidoglycan, starch, cellulose, chitin, and hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan, HA). Consistent with this, five of the most common nucleotide sugars in nature are the precursors...

26/02/2026

In our latest Interesting Fact Post learn about Mitochondrial Glycoproteins!
Think don't have ? Think again! New research shows O-GlcNAc modifications are key to: Energy Brain Health, Development

Read: https://research.bidmc.org/ncfg/blog/25-facts-about-mitochondrial-glycoproteins

February 11, 2026 By: Richard D. Cummings Until a few years ago it was believed that mitochondria do not contain glycoproteins. However, mitochondria contain a variant form of the enzyme UDP-GlcNAc: polypeptide O-β-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (OGT) that adds O-GlcNAc to Ser/Thr residues of prot...

15/01/2026

💡 Have you ever wondered how many N-Glycans or there are on cells?

The numbers are massive: calculations suggest about 20 to 200 million N-glycans per human cell!

Read the full blog post: https://research.bidmc.org/ncfg/blog/24-facts-about-number-glycoproteins-and-n-glycans-cell

05/12/2025

Have you heard of sugar alcohols, such as erythritol, sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol? These are commonly used as artificial sweeteners. Learn more about these interesting small sugars and where they are found in our latest blog post, https://research.bidmc.org/ncfg/blog/23-facts-about-sugar-alcohols

December 02, 2025 By: Richard D. Cummings Sugar alcohols are a reduced form of a sugar in which the aldehyde or ketone is replaced with an -OH, and sometimes referred to as polyols. Strictly speaking, the definition of an alcohol is an organic compound with one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached...