Protein-Specific Glycoprofiling for Patient Diagnostics

Protein glycosylation is increasingly recognized as a crucial modulator of protein function, offering a third layer of biological information over genomics and proteomics. Modern tools for analyzing released N-glycans from cells and body fluids, i.e., the glycome, have shown abnormal protein glycosylation in numerous human diseases. These include both genetic and acquired diseases, ranging from diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory disease to neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disease. Insights from this novel field in human medicine provide exciting perspectives toward understanding disease processes, identifying therapeutic targets, and designing individualized diagnostics based on protein concentrations and glycosylation status. However, the main question is how we can translate this information into concrete biomarkers in a clinical diagnostic setting, with high demands on technical robustness and the ability to interpret results within specific patient groups.