Glycans are modifiable biomarkers and functional effectors of age-related diseases

Glycans are the ultimate layer of molecular complexity generated by modifying proteins with chemical structures that integrate genetic, epigenetic, and environmental information. Hundreds of genes are involved in the complex pathway of glycan biosynthesis and glycome composition is significantly heritable as a complex trait.

Alternative glycosylation (attaching different glycans to the same glycosylation site on a protein) modulates protein function and in this way actively participates in the transition from health to disease.

By analysing over 200,000 individuals we demonstrated that glycans have significant biomarker potential in predicting different age-related diseases, but also in monitoring pharmacological and lifestyle interventions aimed at decreasing the disease risk. 

Bio:

Gordan Lauc is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Zagreb, Director of the National Centre of Scientific Excellence in Personalised Healthcare, Honorary professor at the Kings College London and member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. He graduated Molecular Biology in 1992 and got PhD in Biochemistry in 1995 at the University of Zagreb.

In 2017 he initiated the launch of the Human Glycome project and is one of its two co-directors. His research team is pioneering high throughput glycomic analysis and the application of glycan biomarkers in the field of precision medicine. By combining glycomic data with extensive genetic, epigenetic, biochemical, and physiological data on over 200,000 individual they are trying to understand the role of glycans in normal physiology and disease.

Professor Lauc co-authored over 300 research articles that are cited over 13,000 times in Google Scholar. In 2007 he founded Genos, a biotech company that is currently global leader in high-throughput glycomics. Research in Genos led to the development of the GlycanAge test of biological age.

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