Core Services

GlycoNet has centralized research facilities to provide technical expertise. These core services allow researchers to access essential scientific infrastructure at a reasonable cost that would otherwise be cost prohibitive.

For more information or to request a quote for glycan synthesis or structure analysis , please contact the Core Services at coreservices@glyconet.ca.

Our Core Services

Glycan Screening

The Glycan Screening Facility is operated in collaboration with GlycoNet researchers. The Facility applies state-of-the-art electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) instrumentation and expertise to screen carbohydrate libraries and other classes of compounds for interaction with target proteins to identify novel inhibitors and natural receptors. Our carbohydrate collection amounts to over 250 compounds, including ABH and Lewis histo-group antigens, human milk oligosaccharides, gangliosides, and plant and bacterial oligosaccharides. The screening facility develops novel ESI-MS methods tailored for each customer to allow identification, characterization, and quantification of protein-carbohydrate interactions in vitro. Researchers may access the Glycan Screening Facility through research collaborations or on a fee-for-service basis.

Analytical R&D

This includes analytical method development, routine measurements, and data interpretation. 

• Characterization of oligosaccharide samples
• Compositional (monosaccharide stoichiometry), linkage and size analysis of polysaccharides
• Quantitation of carbohydrates in complex sample matrices
• Oligosaccharide structure determination including conformational analysis
• Determination of unusual or modified glycan structures
• High-field, cold-probe NMR instruments
• Nano-ES, MALDI TOF/TOF, and FT-ICR mass spectrometry instruments

Custom Synthesis

GlycoNet’s carbohydrate synthesis laboratory brings together state-of-the-art instruments, seasoned expertise, and an extensive library of building blocks and enzymes, facilitating access at every stage of custom carbohydrate synthesis from probe molecule design to final purification. Expedient access is accelerated by a wide range of specialized resources complemented by in-house access to our analytical facilities, including:

• Automated (solid-phase) glycan synthesis instrumentation
• Comprehensive array of semipreparative chromatography media and hardware
• In-house carbohydrate-active enzyme repository
• Exceptional pool of knowledge and experience in enzymatic and chemical synthesis
• Access to partners for scale-up and other specialized requests
• Catalog of carbohydrates and related compounds ready for testing or synthetic elaboration

Examples of carbohydrates available for immediate purchase or custom synthesis include:

• Oligosaccharides
• Glycopeptides
• Building Blocks
• Unusual Sialosides and Kdo Glycosides
• Human blood group antigens
• Sphingolipids
• Mimetics and enzyme probes
• Glycoconjugates