Mass Spectrometric Exploration of the GlycoUniverse

Currently over 80% of biological drugs on the market are modified by sugar residues called glycans. Presence of these glycans on each of these molecules is critical for their biological activity, and the distribution of these glycans is extremely diverse. For instance, certain glycan profiles can make antibodies used in cancer immunotherapy more efficient, or they can increase the half life of drugs such as erythropoietin eliminating the need for frequent injections. Additionally, in this day and age of multiple blockbuster patent expiries we see an increased interest in the biosimilar drugs where replicating the glycan profile of the original drug is a critical and perhaps the most challenging part. In my research, I have developed an analytical method based on native mass spectrometry that enables detailed characterization of glycan profiles of biological drugs. With this method it is possible to quickly obtain a fingerprint of glycan profiles which can then be compared between different biological drugs products, or batches of the same product to ensure the optimal glycan profile.