As, almost all proteins are glycosylated in our body, glycosylation can significantly modify the function of our proteins. Changes in glycosylation can be sensitive indicators of intracellular biochemical processes; therefore, glycosylation analysis might reveal new ways of biomarker research. Although several glycan-based tests and potential glycan-based diagnostic markers have been discovered, the purpose of our project is to identify the specific glycosylation patterns of early stage liver diseases (caused by different toxins, viral infections, medicines, etc.) parallelly with the development of unique analytical reagents and methods.
We will develop reagents and tools that are sensitive and accurate enough to detect the glycosylation of proteins. These reagents will be useful for several kinds of developmental processes based on glycan analysis, such as the identification of biomarkers; the quality assurance of biologics; the description and follow-up of stem cells; and the diagnostics of metabolic, immune or tumorous diseases and their therapies. The consortium will develop a unique technique (which is able to determine the glycosylation pattern of a focused or complete protein population from biological samples) and a kit containing the reagents needed for the technique. To detect glycans, we will create different lectin and antibody arrays, and develop optical waveguide-based biosensors that can be used as reagents for diagnostics and will be suitable for the targeted analysis of certain protein fractions derived from blood plasma. For the analysis of the fractions, a complex technological process will be developed, which will specifically detect the glycosylation changes of liver proteins with high sensitivity.
During the project, we aim to develop diagnostic methods that can detect the changes in the glycosylation of certain serum proteins, especially in the early markers of chronic liver diseases and the pathophysiological processes of the liver. These could be used for the detection of drug side effects or the detection of liver diseases. The reagents and systems will be validated with animal and human blood plasma, during which the functional activity of the liver will be studied. The developed reagents and systems will not only be important in diagnostics but will also be made available for several research laboratories and drug researching companies as a service.
Project number: 2019-1.1.1-PIACI-KFI-2019-00444
Projekt title: Development of reagent products based on glycosylation patterns and implementation of diagnostic developments
Project duration: 2020.02.01-2023.01.31
Beneficiaries: Astridbio Technologies Ltd., TS Labor Ltd.
Total project cost: 766,101 MFt
Grant amount: 496,66 MFt
