Building Networks to Excel in Glycoscience
A capacity-building network with the ambitious goal to provide a breakthrough in the research of UCIBIO-NovaFCT
Project
GLYCOTwinning is a capacity-building network with the ambitious goal to provide a breakthrough in the research of the Applied Biomolecular Sciences Unit, NOVA University Lisbon (UCIBIO-NOVA), from chemistry to microbiology, immunology and biomedicine. To achieve excellence, UCIBIO-NOVA needs further synergies, to be acquired through networking with topclass partners: Imperial College, LUMC and CICbioGUNE.
Objectives
Promote scientific excellence and innovation in Glycoscience;
Empower researchers’ capacity and creativity;
Strengthen research management and administration skills;
Raise dissemination activities;
Boost reputation, research profile and attractiveness.
Science
GLYCOTwinning brings synergy and multidisciplinarity in cutting-edge scientific methodologies: glycan microarrays, advanced electrophoresis, High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, to decode sugar recognition by glycan-binding proteins involved in disease.
Through GLYCOTwinning, UCIBIO-NOVA will reinforce its research capacity, expanding its current R&D+I profile to dissect glycan-protein interactions, from the atomic and molecular levels to the cellular context, boosting the development of innovative glycan-based tools, diagnosis, and therapies.
Furthermore, GLYCOTwinning will integrate its objectives in a project that explores glycan-protein interactions of the human microbiome in colorectal cancer, validating a GLYCOTwinning ToolBox, creating new knowledge, innovation and opening new research avenues for the widest dissemination and exploitation, with long term scientific and societal impact.
Events
Workshop on Grant Writing
19 September 2025
3rd Joint Lab Retreat
11-12 September 2025
15-17 September 2025
3rd Scientific Network Meeting
Guest seminar
4 February 2025
Sandra van Vliet, from the Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands, will give a seminar entitled “The pleiotropic C-type lectin MGL and its dual role in shaping anti-tumor immunity”.
26 November 2024
News
Nature Communications joint article
5 June 2025
A result of the joint effort coordinated by ICL, which counted on the participation of Angelina Palma’s GlycoLab and several outstanding institutions across the world, has been published on Nature Communicaitons journal entitled Identification and characterisation of vaginal bacteria-glycan interactions implicated in reproductive tract health and pregnancy outcome
25-30 May 2025
Paula Videira, as well as other GLYCOTwinning Consortium partner leaders and researchers were present at the 8th Canadian Glycomics Symposium, which took place in Edmonton, Canada. By joining researchers and industry leaders from around the world, this event constituted a very relevant opportunity for networking. More
10 March 2025
Angelina Palma, one of the coordinators of GLYCOTwinning, gave a talk entitled “Unraveling Glycan-Protein Interactions in Bacterial Systems: Integrating Glycan Microarrays with Structural Biology” at AFMB (Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques) in Marseille, France.
10-11 December 2024
June Ereño-Orbea, from CIC bioGUNE was invited to serve as a member of the jury for the PhD thesis defense of Daniela Barreira. More
6 December 2024
Ana Sofia Grosso, member of GLYCOTwinning, will give a talk titled Mechanism of MUC1 O-glycosylation orchestrated by C1GalT1 and ST6GalNAc-I unveiled by NMR.