The Integrated Technology Resource for Biomedical Glycomics was established in 2004 with funding from the National Center for Research Resources to develop and implement new technologies to investigate the Glycome of cells and exploit the use of these technologies to develop embryonic stem cell markers during their differentiation.
A critical component of the Resource Center is its Analytical Service and Training Core. During 2006, for example, this Core analyzed over 1000 samples for investigators from across the U.S. and the world, from both academia and industry. In addition, as Glycomics becomes recognized as a fundamental element of biomedical research, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as diverse academic laboratories send students for our summer workshops, such as the Mass Spectrometry of Glycans and Glycoconjugates. More information regarding our Service and Training is available by clicking on the buttons in the navigation bar.
The technology development of the Resource is divided into several Cores: Stem Cell Platform, Glycoproteomics & Glycoconjugate Analysis, Transcript Analysis, and Bioinformatics. Use the navigation bar to get more information regarding these research areas.
The tools and technologies developed by the Resource Center are being applied to identifying markers for stem cells. As protocols are developed to cause differentiation of these cells into specific developmental lineages and cell types, the identification of developmental stage-specific markers is critical for separation of target cell populations. Since all cells are "sugar-coated", glycans are logical candidates for specific cell markers. Moreover, these technologies can be applied directly to identify diseased cell populations; for example, invasive breast carcinoma cells. Glycomic analyses are, therefore, of increasing interest to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.