Fast and Compact: New Device Makes Sugar Synthesis Simple & Cost-Effective

 

The Glyconeer 3.1 represents the latest breakthrough in the automated assembly of complex sugar chains. While the intricate and diverse structures of sugars have always been challenging, the improved design and technology patented by Peter Seeberger’s research group make their synthesis fast, energy-efficient, and user-friendly. A better understanding of these ubiquitous molecules promises important advances in fields ranging from biotechnology to medicine and materials science.

We live in a world of glycans (or sugars) – the most common molecules essential to life, including our own. But there is still much to be learned about their structure and how they interact with other molecules. The challenge stems from their incredible diversity: sugars come in many shapes and sizes, branch into intricate and highly variable structures, and are often found in nature in compounds from which they must be isolated. Glycobiology explores their architecture based on lab-built models to understand their equally diverse functions – triggering immune responses, facilitating cell communication, providing and storing energy.

Now, an innovative device called Glyconeer 3.1 makes their synthesis more energy-efficient and reliable, offering glycobiologists customizable models to dive into the world of sugars. Prof. Peter Seeberger has pioneered and refined the Glyconeer over the years. "The principle is to assemble simple sugars found in nature into longer chains of complex glycans. With automation, I wanted to reduce human error and make the process easy to reproduce," he says. The synthesis of accurate models (or "synthetic analogs"), which used to take months or even years, can now be completed in as little as a day. This allows scientists to control and reproduce sugar structures and tailor their properties for their investigations.

"We are proud to introduce the latest and most powerful version of the patented Glyconeer. We incorporated real-time controls to handle the wide range of temperatures required and added multiple delivery channels so that each ‘ingredient’ for the synthesis mixes with the others only when and where needed," explains Dr. José Danglad-Flores, one of the principal investigators. The efficiency becomes evident when you look at how the size of the device has evolved. "Previous versions were as big as a refrigerator, while the Glyconeer 3.1 is as compact as a microwave oven," describes Dr. Eric Sletten, another project leader. "It fits on a standard lab shelf bench and uses 75% less energy than its predecessors.” Other key features include low-maintenance materials and modular components that can be easily replaced and fixed if damaged.

Scientists in Seeberger’s Department of Biomolecular Systems are already using  the Institute’s four Glyconeers to design synthetic analogs of interest and investigate carbohydrate properties. The spin-off company GlycoUniverse makes the device available worldwide, and online tutorials by Sletten and Danglad-Flores guide users step-by-step.
Advances in biotech and medicine, such as the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for malaria and cancer, are drawing closer, one lab-made sugar chain at a time.