ERC awards funding for glycomics study
A team of researchers from the Institute of Chemistry at the Slovak Academy of Sciences have been awarded funding by the European Research Council (ERC) to continue their research into the combination of glycomics – the study of sugars in organisms – with biochip sensors based on nanoparticles and nanotubes.
The ELENA project, headed by Dr Ján Tkáč, will develop innovative biochips that can detect changes in ‘glycosylation’, glycans attached to a protein or other organic molecules, which can indicate diseases such as cancer.
Tkáč said: “This is vital research as there is growing evidence of the importance of glycans in many aspects of cell physiology and pathology. Here at the Institute we were very pleased with the ERC award because, after welcome EU investment for infrastructure, this five-year grant for ground-breaking research gives us the long-term stability we need to develop our team of young researchers and achieve real excellence in glycomics”.
A typical ELENA biochip starts with a gold-plated glass substrate. Nanoparticles are then deposited on to the gold surface, followed by a layer of lectin (a glycan recognising protein). Finally, a layer of glycoprotein is deposited over the lectin after incubation with a sample. Interactions between the lectin and glycoprotein layers can then be detected by changes in the electrical resistivity of the biochip assembly.
Tkáč explained: “The importance of the nanoparticles is their size. They are small enough for us to study interactions at the cellular and molecular level and offer greatly improved detection limits.”
As well as faster, more sensitive detection, ELENA also aims for nano-biochips that are more accurate than existing chips.
