Objective Carbohydrates (glycans, sugars) play key roles in virtually all biological events. Given their chemical complexity, understanding their roles in nature requires a multidisciplinary approach. Research in the field is growing, since advances in the area could be part of the solution to many health issues. However, we lack full knowledge on the role of most glycan-mediated events especially at the resolution required from a chemical perspective to manipulate them and create new probes and eventually drugs. Understanding sugar recognition remains a major challenge in science. Although X-ray diffraction has been employed to study sugar/protein complexes, a recent report has highlighted that most sugar conformers deposited in the Protein Data Bank are incorrect. Flexible glycans are handled poorly in X-ray: errors reflect incorrect refinement of sugars, with huge implications when interpreted in the biocontext.I propose to address glycan recognition by using a multidisciplinary approach, combining synthesis, molecular biology and biophysics, with a prominent role for NMR. In RECGLYCANMR I will develop new NMR protocols to decipher key glycan recognition aspects beyond current knowledge: the role of presentation and dynamics and understanding the mechanisms behind the exquisite receptor and ligand selectivity. Importantly, till now, sugar recognition NMR studies have been exclusively limited to in vitro. RECGLYCANMR will break the limits of NMR, studying the interactions in-cell, a crowded ambient where viscosity is doubled respect to water. I am in a unique position to approach this project due to my wide expertise in NMR and the network of collaborators I have established for years, enabling me to access a large variety of synthetic sugars. Discovering the molecular bases of in-cell interactions will provide groundbreaking information on sugar chemical biology and will open unexplored avenues for approaching sugar-associated diseases, as inflammation and viral infections Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculescarbohydratesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiophysicsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmolecular biology Keywords Carbohydrates NMR Molecular Recognition Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2017-ADG - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2017-ADG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution ASOCIACION CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION COOPERATIVA EN BIOCIENCIAS Net EU contribution € 2 499 980,00 Address PARQUE TECNOLOGICO EDIFICIO 801 A 48160 Derio Vizcaya Spain See on map Region Noreste País Vasco Bizkaia Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 499 980,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all ASOCIACION CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION COOPERATIVA EN BIOCIENCIAS Spain Net EU contribution € 2 499 980,00 Address PARQUE TECNOLOGICO EDIFICIO 801 A 48160 Derio Vizcaya See on map Region Noreste País Vasco Bizkaia Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 499 980,00