Why is this research important to Alberta?

• Alberta and Canada face growing pressures in health and agriculture and food systems
• Glycomics, the study of complex carbohydrates/sugars, can provide critical insights into precision medicine, antimicrobial resistance, and plant resilience
• However, gaps in infrastructure, data integration, and access to advanced tools limit its impact.
• This challenge has significant economic, health, and environmental implications:
  • Reduced competitiveness and commercialization in the glycomics and biotech sector
  • Slower progress in diagnostics, therapeutics, and precision medicine
  • Limited development of sustainable agri-food and antimicrobial resistance solutions
• The project aligns with provincial and national priorities in life sciences, data-driven innovation, and sustainable agriculture.

What is the goal of this work? How will genomics be used?

• This project aims to expand Canada’s glycomics capabilities to accelerate discovery in human health, biotechnology, and sustainable agri-food systems.
• Key outputs include new tools, datasets, and services, including:
  • Integrated glycan–protein datasets
  • Advanced imaging tools
  • Enzyme-based analytical platforms
  • Human-relevant cell and animal models
• Glycomics data are integrated with genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics datasets to provide a more complete understanding of biological interactions and disease mechanisms.
• Integrated datasets can then be analyzed using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• This approach enables faster identification of disease mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and biomarkers, improving decision-making in drug development and precision health.

The work is led by the University of Alberta with national and international partners, including international academic collaborators (e.g., Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics, Switzerland and Soka University, Japan) and industry users, supporting data-driven discovery, and real-world applications in health and agriculture.

What are the expected benefits, and how will the research findings be shared?

This work will deliver economic, health, and environmental benefits for Alberta and Canada.

Expected benefits include:

• Improved drug discovery and precision medicine, leading to better patient outcomes
• Identification of new therapeutic targets and development of novel diagnostics
• One Health innovations in antimicrobial resistance and sustainable agri-food systems
• Commercialization and growth of Alberta’s and Canada’s biotech sector

By developing and deploying new glycomics tools, datasets, and services through GIS, the project supports validation with academic and industry users and enables translation into real-world health and agri-food applications, supporting growth in a rapidly expanding global glycomics market.

Related Resources

Related information can be accessed through:

• GlycoNet Integrated Services website: https://canadianglycomics.ca/services/
• News article: Harnessing the power of carbohydrates to improve our health
• Review article: Glycan-Binding Proteins in Immunity
• Research publication: Measuring carbohydrate recognition profile of lectins on live cells using liquid glycan array (LiGA)
• Research publication: Alzheimer’s disease associated isoforms of human CD33 distinctively modulate microglial cell responses in 5XFAD mice