EUROGLYCOARRAYS · Development of carbohydrate array technology to systematically explore the functional role of glycans in healthy and diseased states

The development and production of glycoarrays will provide the foreground knowledge necessary to lead to a step change in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases ranging from cancers to autoimmune diseases. Carbohydrates play a pivotal role in the molecular interactions that govern biological events at the centre of health and disease. This has become more evident as the characterisation and identification of proteins and their interactions through proteomics has advanced during the last decade. Whilst proteomics is providing a wealth of information, it does not deal with the results of post-translational modifications such as glycosylation which are frequently the driving force behind the biological activity of proteins. This lack of information is beginning to be addressed by the emerging field of glycomics, the mapping of all carbohydrate-protein interactions. The proposed training network is multidisciplinary involving carbohydrate chemistry, array technology and application. The programme offers young scientist an outstanding opportunity to be involved in the development stages of the glycoarray technology and apply this technology to important biological questions.