Decoding sugar molecules on proteins to transform personalised medicine
This integrated approach means researchers do not have to piece together separate services; we deliver a complete workflow.
Robert-Jan Lamers, GLYSEC project coordinator and co-founder and company director of Immundnz Ltd.
The success of modern therapies increasingly depends on understanding how patient-specific biology shapes drug responses. The attachment of sugar molecules to proteins, a process known as glycosylation(opens in new window), can profoundly influence immune function. However, this layer of biology has been largely overlooked in drug development, where emphasis has traditionally been placed on protein sequence and target affinity. Glycan structures are highly complex, dynamic and difficult to characterise systematically. Therefore, they are rarely incorporated into standard drug design and manufacturing. Unwanted immune reactions driven by glycan patterns can reduce therapy efficacy or trigger adverse effects, highlighting the need for predictive strategies.
A collaboration-driven platform for glycosylation analysis
Funded by the EU through Horizon Europe(opens in new window), Innovate UK(opens in new window) and RVO(opens in new window), the GLYSEC project created an integrated analytical platform for glyco-immunology that helps researchers uncover how sugar molecules on proteins, known as glycans, shape immune responses and disease progression. GLYSEC is the result of a partnership between three European companies: Immundnz(opens in new window) in the UK, GlycoMScan(opens in new window) and TenWise(opens in new window) in the Netherlands. The collaboration merges the immunology expertise of Immundnz with cutting-edge LC-MS glycoproteomics of GlycoMScan’s and TenWise’s AI-powered literature mining. “We offer everything from immune cell experiments to advanced glycopeptide analysis and predictive bioinformatics. This integrated approach means researchers do not have to piece together separate services; we deliver a complete workflow,” explains project coordinator Robert-Jan Lamers, co-founder and company director of Immundnz Ltd. GLYSEC places glycan biology at the centre of drug discovery, generating data that can be directly interpreted to identify new drug targets and biomarkers. The service does not just produce data but converts it into actionable insights that guide therapy development.
Technologies behind GLYSEC
The GLYSEC glyco-immunology workflow begins with the selection of immune cells of interest, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, NK cells, T cells or B cells and the preferred cell type. Once the experimental designs are tailored in collaboration with the client such as research institutes or hospitals, co-cultures are established and drug candidates are tested using flow cytometry and multiplex immunoassays. Samples are then prepared for liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry(opens in new window) analysis to generate detailed mass spectra for the precise characterisation of glycosylated proteins. GLYSEC integrates experimental data with predictive bioinformatics using information from proteomic and glycan databases. The service associates the generated site-specific glycosylation profiles with signalling pathways, metabolites and diseases. Collectively, the results are compiled in a report, providing precise answers to the client’s original biological questions and guiding therapeutic or diagnostic strategies.
Impactful discoveries
The GLYSEC approach has been applied across multiple disease areas, including cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, supporting both therapeutic and diagnostic innovation. The project has already contributed to notable breakthroughs, such as the ones mentioned below. In cancer immunotherapy, the platform revealed that sugar patterns on immune cells determine whether they attack tumours or support their growth. By modifying glycosylation steps, researchers were able to push immune cells into a cancer-fighting mode. Similarly, in autoimmune disease research, GLYSEC identified glycan changes that trigger unwanted immune activation, providing targets for early-stage drug development. These findings demonstrate the power of integrating glyco-immunology into therapeutic design and open new avenues for patient-specific interventions.
Smarter drug design
Screening the glycan profiles of patients before treatment can predict immune responses, reduce adverse effects and improve efficacy, bringing precision medicine closer to reality. The platform also accelerates drug discovery by prioritising targets with high translational potential and may foster entirely new therapeutic classes focused on glycan modulation. According to Lamers: “GLYSEC represents a fundamental shift in how we develop therapies.” Moving forward, the project team aims to establish partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to embed glycosylation insights into drug pipelines. The consortium brought together Immundnz, GlycoMScan and TenWise, co-funded by the EU through Horizon Europe, the UK’s Innovation Agency (Innovate UK) and the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO).