Training in Glycoscience

This 5-day hands-on course will provide series of lectures and demonstrations, which cover the theory and techniques of isolation, purification and structure characterization of poly-, oligo-saccharides and glyco-conjugates. Participants will learn the theory techniques of glycosyl-residue and glycosyl-linkage composition analyses using gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These methods for derivatization of sugar samples to make alditol acetates and trimethylsilyl derivatives and the production of partially methylated alditol acetates, which the trainees analyze by GC/MS. Lectures and demonstrations will cover such techniques for structural analysis of polysaccharides by mass spectrometry and NMR, and methods for the separation and purification of polysaccharides by chromatographic techniques and monosaccharides and oligosaccharides using HPAEC. In addition, lectures on a variety of topics from CCRC facility will be given such as: Dr. Geert-Jan Boons “Chemical Synthesis of Carbohydrates”, Dr. Mohnen “Biosynthesis Polysaccharides”, Dr. Hahn “Use of antibodies for structural determination of cell wall polysaccharides”, and Dr. Muszyński, “Isolation and characterization of bacterial polysaccharides”. Dr. Breeanna Urbanowicz will also lecture on “Introduction to xyloglucan structure and biosynthesis”. Hands-on demonstrations will also deliver detailed techniques and data interpretation for composition and linkage analyses of monosaccharide residues in poly-, oligo-saccharides and glyco-conjugates.

$500 Academic, $1,100 Industry

This 5-day hands-on course is focused on hands-on experiments for glycomics and glycoproteomics by mass spectrometry and the use of bioinformatics tools. Participants will release N– and O-glycans, perform permethylation, profiling, and sequencing by NSI-MS/MS and MALDI-MS techniques and also includes a special module on glycoproteomics. Other hands-on experiments include glycolipid analysis and lectin blotting experiments. Lectures by Drs. Archer-Hartmann, Azadi, Wells/Orlando and include topics on monosaccharide and oligosaccharide analysis by HPAEC mapping the glycosylation sites in glycoproteins, glycopeptide analysis, determining the composition, quantitation of glycans, sequencing and branching points of N– and O-linked oligosaccharides, and MS procedures used in these analyses. Special topic lectures will cover “Biosynthesis of Glycoproteins” by Dr. Moremen, “Bacterial Glycoproteins” by Dr. Szymanski, Glycosphingolipid Analysis by Dr. Tiemeyer.

$500 Academic, $1,100 Industry

In this 3-day course, participants will learn fundamental techniques for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) analysis including hands-on experiments in GAG compositional analysis, HPLC, acid hydrolysis and size exclusion chromatography. An introduction into general techniques for GAG isolation and characterization will be covered. Topics to be included are: Biological considerations of glycosaminoglycans, GAGs as biotherapeutics, and isolation strategies of GAGs from cells and tissue. Participants will explore various methods of the analysis of GAGs with combinations of enzymatic or chemical treatments, chromatography, and mass spectrometry (LCMS and ESI-MS/MS). Special emphasis will be on experiments for disaccharide analysis of GAGs by SAX-HPLC. They will also explore cutting-edge characterization techniques through the use of 1D and 2D NMR techniques, and GAG-protein interactions with SPR. Special topic lectures will cover mass spectrometry of GAGs by Dr. Leach, and cell-based assay for GAG analysis by Dr. Wiess and 1D and D-NMR characterization of GAGs.

$600 Academic, $1,400 Industry

This NSF BIOF: GREAT sponsored course provides a comprehensive introduction to modern glycoscience, covering the fundamentals of glycosylation, glycomics, glycoproteomics, and glycoenzyme biology. Participants will gain hands-on experience with widely used glycoproteomics data analysis software, including FragPipe, Andromeda, Byonic, pGlyco, GlycoCounter, and Diver, for the identification and characterization of glycopeptides and glycoproteins. The course also explores the biological roles of glycosyltransferases (GTs) and glycoside hydrolases (GHs), structural glycobiology, and the latest computational approaches for protein–glycan modeling using AlphaFold3 (AF3) and JAAG workflows. Additional topics include artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for enzyme classification and function prediction, glycoinformatics databases, data standards, visualization tools, and best practices for data sharing. Through a combination of lectures, software demonstrations, and hands-on computational workshops, participants will develop practical skills for analyzing, interpreting, and modeling glycosylated biomolecules using state-of-the-art computational tools.

$500 Academic, $1,100 Industry

Course 4 Sample Schedule

This two-day virtual course will provide an overview of the theory and analytical strategies used in the isolation, purification, and structural characterization of plant and microbial polysaccharides. Through a combination of interactive lectures and data interpretations. Participants will gain a strong theoretical foundation and practical understanding of methods used for glycosyl-residue and glycosyl-linkage composition analyses by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Details will include derivatization techniques for preparing alditol acetates, trimethylsilyl derivatives, and partially methylated alditol acetates, along with interpretation of the resulting GC/MS data.

The course will also cover structural analysis of polysaccharides using advanced mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as well as separation and purification approaches for polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, and monosaccharides using chromatographic techniques such as high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC).  This condensed virtual format will emphasize core analytical principles, data analysis, and interpretation and isolation, purification, and structural analysis techniques.

Virtual Course 1 Sample Schedule

This two-day virtual course will provide a comprehensive overview of experimental and analytical strategies in glycomics and glycoproteomics, with emphasis on mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, and chromatographic techniques. Participants will gain a strong theoretical understanding of methods used for the release and analysis of N- and O-glycans, including permethylation, glycan tagging, glycan profiling, and sequencing by NSI-MS/MS, MALDI-MS, and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC). Live demonstrations will illustrate glycolipid and lectin-based analyses, focusing on data evaluation and interpretation rather than laboratory procedures.

The course will also cover practical applications of these analytical techniques, including mapping glycosylation sites on glycoproteins, determining glycan composition, branching, and quantitation, and interpreting glycopeptide and glycoprotein data. Emphasis will be placed on integrating multiple analytical approaches to generate a complete structural and functional understanding of glycans in biological systems. Participants will also learn how bioinformatics tools are used to support glycomics and glycoproteomics analyses.

Virtual Course 2 Sample Schedule