# Development of a next-generation glycomics platform to enable glycan structure analyses for precision medicine

> **NIH NIH R33** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · $451,037

## Abstract

Nearly all aspects of biology, including protein folding, cell adhesion and signaling, are mediated by glycans. As
such, glycans have been exploited as clinical biomarkers for blood cell typing, cardiovascular and autoimmune
disease, and cancer. Despite their importance, we currently have a limited view of the diverse glycan structure
complexity present in normal health or disease. This is due to the lack of off-the-shelf approaches that enable
the widespread identification and quantitation of glycan structures. Recent developments in mass spectrometry
and related software tools facilitate the analysis of glycan structures. Widespread implementation of these
approaches has been limited by the lack of approachable, high-throughput sample preparation strategies, lack
of standardized methods for harmonization of data acquisition among laboratories, and absence of tools for
automated peak assignment of glycan structures. In preliminary studies we have overcome major feasibility gaps
of previous technologies. Our new analytical platform, GlyThyra, is the first single, integrated, one-of-a-kind
glycomics platform to enable quantitative mass spectrometry-based glycan structure studies without requiring
pre-purification of specific proteins. GlyThyra surpasses the depth, specificity, and speed of classical lectin-
based approaches or other mass spectrometry approaches by enabling rapid, quantitative glycomic profiling of
>300 N- and O-linked glycan structures across 3 orders of magnitude range in abundance. GlyThyra incorporates
our novel approach for bulk glycan quantitation and normalization of total glycan content prior to mass
spectrometry to eliminate errors associated with unequal loading. Internal and external standards enable
normalization of technical variation and the generation of standardized results with low interlab variation.
Preliminary data generated by our new platform provide evidence that novel potential biomarkers for heart, lung,
and blood disease can be rapidly identified from just 1μL serum or plasma. The proposed studies will rigorously
validate GlyThyra to encourage its downstream utilization and adoption in biomarker development efforts.
Specifically, we will use National Institute for Standards and Technology reference materials for non-invasive
sample types (serum, plasma, urine) to further refine and assess performance measures to validate the sample
preparation and data acquisition (Aim 1) and data analysis modules (Aim 2). Aim 3 will establish the reference
ranges for >100 glycan structures across 100 healthy adult control serum, plasma, and urine samples. Outcomes
of the proposed studies will impact biomarker development across a broad range of diseases by enabling
researchers who would not otherwise have access to glycomic technologies to perform precise profiling of glycan
structures in clinically relevant samples. The seamless integration of all analytical and bioinformatic workflows
and exclusive use of commercially a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10239250
- **Project number:** 5R33HL154123-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Rebekah L. Gundry
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $451,037
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10239250

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10239250, Development of a next-generation glycomics platform to enable glycan structure analyses for precision medicine (5R33HL154123-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10239250. Licensed CC0.

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