Proteoglycans are protein-glycan hybrids with unique types of complex glycans called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).

These unusual molecules play important roles in biology, from development and homeostasis, through to roles in diseases like cancer, COVID, and Alzheimers.

Currently there is much we don’t know about proteoglycan structure and function. With 91 members currently identified, proteoglycans have a diverse array of locations, biological roles and interaction partners. They regularly pop up in disease studies including cancers, infectious diseases and developmental disorders. But, our current information about proteoglycans is constrained by the methods available for their study. That is why we seek to develop precision methods for proteoglycans to enable us to examine them with a new level of detail. This will unlock new information about proteoglycans and foster new ideas about how to harness them for biopharma, medicine and the industrial sector.

Proteoglycans have one or more linear glycans called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that vary in their type and fine structure, giving complex variation to their 3D structure. Along with the protein core, GAG chains interact with ligands and participate in the coordination of biological complexes to govern cell signalling processes, cell-extracellular matrix connections and extracellular matrix mechanics.