Developing RAMAN-based methodology to investigate cell glycosylation signatures

风湿性关节炎是一种慢性炎症性疾病，影响全球1%的人口，但我们仍然缺乏预测疾病表型或药物反应的方法。我们实验室最近获得的结果将细胞糖基化确定为克服这一科学僵局的潜在目标。所有活细胞都被一层独特的聚糖[或糖]覆盖。我们知道聚糖表达失调与慢性炎症发作之间存在紧密联系，但这一过程的细节仍不清楚，主要是由于缺乏合适的分析方法。我们计划探索采用拉曼光谱作为一种创新的无标记的方法来探索糖萼。该工具将为糖组学领域带来新的曙光，使新的科学发现不仅能够提供更有效的方法来研究细胞糖基化的病理生理变化，而且还可以了解细胞生物学的新方面，以弥合健康和疾病中细胞的炎症反应，结构糖生物学和机械特性。此外，由于与拉曼仪器的工业领导者Horiba的合作，我们将解决该方法转化为临床的潜力，设计一种拉曼动力的炎症诊断设备。

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting 1% of the global population, but we still lack methods to predict disease phenotype or responses to drugs. Recent results obtained in our lab identify cell glycosylation as a potential target to overcome this scientific impasse. All living cells are covered by a distinct layer of glycans [or sugars]. We know that a tight connection exists between the dysregulation of glycan expression and the onset of chronic inflammation, but the details of this process are still unclear, mostly due to the lack of suitable analytical methods. We plan to explore the adoption of Raman spectroscopy as an innovative label-free approach to explore the glycocalyx. This tool will shine a new light on the field of glycomics, enabling new scientific discoveries not only to provide more effective ways to investigate pathophysiological changes in cell glycosylation, but also to understand new aspects of cell biology to bridge inflammatory responses, structural glycobiology and mechanical properties of cells both in health and disease. Moreover, thanks to the collaboration with an industrial leader in Raman instrumentation, Horiba, we will address the potential of the approach to translate towards the clinic, designing a Raman-powered diagnostic device for inflammatory states.