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The field of synthetic glycobiotechnology encompasses the synthesis and modification of free carbohydrates and carbohydrates linked to biomolecules. Our group develops bio-catalytic processes for the synthesis of carbohydrate building blocks, so-called sugar nucleotides, and cell-free multi-enzyme cascades to tailor carbohydrates linked to proteins. The technology can eventually help to advance our understanding of the roles of specific carbohydrates in nutrition and medicine and contribute to human health and well-being.

Cell-Free Glycoengineering of the Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein.

The baculovirus-insect cell expression system is readily utilized to produce viral glycoproteins for research as well as for subunit vaccines and vaccine candidates, for instance against SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the glycoforms of recombinant proteins derived from this expression system are inherently different from mammalian cell-derived glycoforms with mainly complex-type glycans attached, and the impact of these differences in protein glycosylation on the immunogenicity is severely under investigated. This applies also to the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein, which is the antigen target of all licensed vaccines and vaccine candidates including virus like particles and subunit vaccines that are variants of the spike protein.