Glycomics – a new target for pharmaceuticals

Most proteins show characteristic biological roles after modification with carbohydrates, and profiling of total carbohydrates (glycans) has been a big target for a full understanding of protein functions. Owing to extreme heterogeneity of the glycans, high sensitivity and high resolving power are required for their analysis. Combination of techniques using high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry allows comprehensive analysis of glycans derived from biological sources.

Section editors:Harald John – Bundeswehr, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Munich, GermanyRainer Bischoff – Centre of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands