Glycans as Mediators of Interactions Between Molecules, Cells and Organisms

The GRC "Glycobiology" is one of the leading meetings in the research area of glycoconjugates. It offers a collegial setting and provides a unique platform to present the newest developments in the field and to discuss the latest findings in our multidisciplinary area of research. Glycoconjugates carry biological information and are ideally suited to mediate interactions at the molecular and cellular level as well as between organisms. Complex biosynthetic pathways are devoted to the biosynthesis and the degradation of glycoconjugates and recent advances in analytical technologies made it possible to detect the high structural diversity of glycans in all species.

An exceptional and diverse group of international scientists will present at the meeting. Nine scientific sessions will cover diverse areas of the field, including the role of glycans in evolutionary processes, the glycobiology of prokaryotes and parasites, with a special focus on the glycobiology of the gut microbiota. The glycobiology of model organisms, chemical and structural glycobiology, the biosynthesis of glycoconjugates and the role of carbohydrates in health and in disease, the function of carbohydrate-binding proteins, the production of glycoconjugates and carbohydrate-based vaccines as well as the analytics of complex carbohadrates is in the main focus of the meeting. Approximately 30 invited talks, 24 short talks selected from poster abstracts and poster sessions represent the core of the Glycobiology GRC. After the big success of the first seminar in 2013, a Glycobiology Gordon Research Seminar will also be held in advance of the GRC that will foster interactions between graduate students, post-docs and established researchers as mentors.