Human Glycome Project Boosted by Support of Critical Goods and Services from Genos, New England Biolabs and Waters Corporation

ZAGREB, Croatia and IPSWICH, Mass. and MILFORD, Mass., June 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Human Glycome Project,  Genos®, New England Biolabs® (NEB®) and Waters™ Corporation today announced a collaboration to accelerate glycomics research by providing goods and services critical to glycan analysis.

Launched in October 2018, the Human Glycome Project is a global initiative to map the structure and function of human glycans. The completion of the human genome project opened multiple new opportunities to study and understand human health, but it also led to the realization that the genome is only one of the elements that controls life. There are multiple additional layers of complexity that exist, one of which is protein glycosylation ("glycans"). Glycans are relevant to our understanding of all major diseases, but due to their structural complexity and analytical challenges, knowledge of glycans lags significantly behind that of DNA and proteins.

Just weeks before the 2^nd Meeting of the Human Glycome Project, taking place on June 19^th and 20^th in Split, Croatia, Genos, NEB and Waters have agreed to combine forces to support this important scientific project. The agreements between Genos, NEB and Waters will enable the analysis of glycans in 10,000 human samples per year, originating from some of the best characterized clinical and epidemiological cohorts in the world. Waters and NEB will provide pro bono reagents and consumables, while Genos will perform the required analyses.

Gordan Lauc, Founder and CEO of Genos: "As a Co-Director of the Human Glycome Project I am thrilled that the support from Genos, NEB and Waters will enable us to add glycan data to some very exciting clinical and epidemiological studies. We already know that glycans have significant predictive power in inflammatory and cardiometabolic disorders, but this is probably only a tip of an iceberg of glycan biomarker potential. At the same time, I am very proud that Genos has been recognized as a site where these challenging analyses can be performed."

Chris Taron, Scientific Director of Protein Modification Research at NEB added "Decades of glycobiology research point to glycans playing important roles in both normal health and in disease.  Systematic exploration of the human glycome in large clinical cohorts has the potential to help write a new chapter in translational medicine.  We are very proud to be working with Genos and Waters to support this important initiative".

Diane M. Diehl, Ph.D., Senior Director, Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Research, Waters Corporation, "Changes in the glycosylation of proteins is a fundamental characteristic of many diseases, such as cancer. We at Waters believe that improved understanding of glycomics through advanced analytical characterization is critically important for biomedical research and to the patients that will potentially benefit from this research. Our ACQUITY UPLC™ technology and GlycoWorks RapiFluor-MS™ sample preparation kits enhance glycan sensitivity for improved analytical speed and resolving power. Waters is excited to support the efforts of the Human Glycome Project."

The selection of the studies, which will be supported through December 2021, will be determined by the Steering Committee of the Human Glycome Project, and the results of all sample analyses will be made available to the scientific community through Human Glycome Project depositories that are being developed separately in collaboration with the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics.

For more information on the Human Glycome Project, visit human-glycome.org or follow @GlycomeHuman on Twitter.

About the Human Glycome Project
The Human Glycome Project (HGP) is led by a consortium of research groups that shares a common goal of aiming to define the structures and functions of human glycoconjugates. Completion of the human genome project opened multiple new opportunities to study and understand human health, but it also led to the realization that the genome is only one of the elements that control life, and that multiple additional layers of complexity exist. One of the most important elements of the complexity of life is protein glycosylation. It is the most intricate posttranslational modification of proteins and alterations in glycosylation microheterogeneity (differences in site-specific glycosylation) can have effects analogous to coding mutations. Without knowledge of glycan structure and its impact on function, it is impossible to understand the function of individual proteins or complex multiprotein and multicellular systems. Furthermore, the majority of molecular differences between different human individuals includes difference in glycans and profiling individual glycomes has very large potential in patient stratification for personalized medicine.

About Genos (genos-glyco.com)
Genos is a research-intensive biotech company located in Zagreb, Croatia. Through participation in 12 large EU research projects Genos developed into a global leader in high-throughput glycomics. Researchers in Genos analyzed glycans in over 100,000 samples from best phenotyped and genotyped clinical and epidemiological cohorts. Glycan data generated in Genos contributed to over 100 research publications in leading research journals and resulted in the development of several promising prognostic biomarkers, including GlycanAge® and DiabRisk®.

About New England Biolabs
Established in the mid 1970's, New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB) is the industry leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications and now offers the largest selection of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB continues to expand its product offerings into areas related to PCR, gene expression, sample preparation for next generation sequencing, synthetic biology, glycobiology, epigenetics and RNA analysis. Additionally, NEB is focused on strengthening alliances that enable new technologies to reach key market sectors, including molecular diagnostics development. New England Biolabs is a privately held company, headquartered in Ipswich, MA, and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of exclusive distributors, agents and seven subsidiaries located in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. For more information about New England Biolabs visit www.neb.com.

NEB® and NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS® are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc.

About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)
Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT), the world's leading specialty measurement company, has pioneered chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis innovations serving the life, materials, and food sciences for more than 60 years. With approximately 7,200 employees worldwide, Waters operates directly in 35 countries, including 15 manufacturing facilities, and with products available in more than 100 countries.

SOURCE New England Biolabs

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