We engineer microbes to make glycans, the sugar chains needed for vaccines and medicines.
Glycans cover every cell and shape how the immune system sees a pathogen. GlycoCell is building UK capability to make them reliably, affordably and at scale.
Glycans are chains of sugar molecules of different types and arrangements. They are found on the surface of every cell and are attached to many proteins, including many of the proteins used as medicines.
The immune system often recognises bacteria by the glycans on their surface, which is why some of the most effective vaccines are built using glycans.
Glycans are often called biology’s dark matter because they are everywhere in living things, yet hard to study and harder still to make. Unlike proteins or RNA, they have no direct genetic template. Instead, many specialised enzymes are needed to build them, one sugar at a time.
We design microbes to make the glycans we need. Engineering biology lets us construct and test many combinations at once, learning each time and building up a collection of DNA parts and microbial strains that work reliably.
Our goal is reliable, reproducible and scalable production for the full range of medically useful glycans, including those that have no established manufacturing route today. We are building that capability in the UK and working to put it into use, leading towards affordable vaccines, diagnostics and medicines for human and animal health worldwide.
GlycoForge is a biofoundry: a laboratory where engineering biology methods, automation and software are used to design, build, test and learn from engineered cells far faster than by hand. It focuses on one task, developing microbes to make glycans.
GlycoCell brings together engineering biologists, glycobiologists and specialists in glycan analysis. Meet the team →
UK institutionsin one consortium
peopleacross the Hub
PhD studentstraining with GlycoCell
independent research postsgained by GlycoCell postdocs so far
We have developed platform technology including established design principles for engineering the pathways that make glycans, along with new microbial strains, automated workflows and bespoke software.
We have designed and developed GlycoForge, a biofoundry specialised in glycan engineering. Its laboratory is set up and equipped, its software platform is in place, and a technical specialist is in post. GlycoForge →
Our first research papers are published, in journals including npj Vaccines, Vaccines and Microbial Biotechnology. Outputs →
Invited talks and panels at national and international conferences, a GlycoCell webinar on YouTube and our research shown to Members of Parliament at STEM for Britain.
Our work could make a real difference to health, and we want to make sure it does. We work closely with industry partners, and take the most promising advances forward through intellectual property, licensing and new ventures.
Preparedness contributes to UK resilience. We are building an evidence base for what UK glycan manufacturing could do when needed, to show where research investment and policy would make the greatest difference next.
GlycoForge’s software platform is completed, its technical specialist recruited and commissioning started. GlycoForge →
GlycoCell research presented to Members of Parliament at STEM for Britain.
GlycoCell’s annual meeting brings the whole Hub together in Nottingham, with our Advisory Board.
Our first research papers are published, in journals including npj Vaccines and Microbial Biotechnology. Outputs →