GlycoPath Inc. has appointed Kathy Phlegar as CEO. This change comes as the company continues to drive towards commercialization of its proprietary assays. Kathy Phlegar comes from a strong life sciences strategy and business development background with experience in business planning, product development, and market entry. Over the past 6 months, Kathy has worked with the GlycoPath team to identify potential growth pathways and to formulate a plan for market positioning.
GlycoPath's proprietary GlycoTyper™ immunoaffinity technology was used to distinguish between Lyme disease infection states and track treatment response through a collaboration with Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Mary Ann Comunale identified glycosylation changes that differentiate acute Lyme disease and track with treatment and partnered with GlycoPath to confirm her labs findings.
GlycoPath Inc. has appointed Kathy Phlegar as CEO. This change comes as the company continues to drive towards commercialization of its proprietary assays. Kathy Phlegar comes from a strong life sciences strategy and business development background with experience in business planning, product development, and market entry. Over the past 6 months, Kathy has worked with the GlycoPath team to identify potential growth pathways and to formulate a plan for market positioning.
GlycoPath's proprietary GlycoTyper™ immunoaffinity technology was used to distinguish between Lyme disease infection states and track treatment response through a collaboration with Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Mary Ann Comunale identified glycosylation changes that differentiate acute Lyme disease and track with treatment and partnered with GlycoPath to confirm her labs findings.
CHARLESTON, S.C., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GlycoPath has received an STTR grant from the National Cancer Institute to utilize their patent-pending GlycoTyper™ technology for the development of a biomarker panel for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major cancer in the USA and rest of the world. This follows the successful development of the GlycoFibroTyper™ assay for the detection of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, the pre-malignant pre-cursor to HCC. In initial published results, the GlycoFibroTyper™ assay detected liver fibrosis with a higher sensitivity and specificity and overall accuracy than current standard of care. Furthermore, this assay is significantly less invasive, suitable for continuous observation, and provides a measurement of the overall health status of the liver. Learn more about the GlycoFibroTyper™ here: https://glycopath.com/glycotyper
The newly funded GlycoHCCTyper™ will expand upon recently published data from the GlycoFibroTyper™ to identify an HCC specific glycan biomarker signature. Over the past 10 years, HCC has been the cancer with the greatest increase in mortality in the USA. Early detection of HCC is key for successful treatment and improved patient outcomes, however routine surveillance is often abandoned due to frustration with poor accuracy of current tests, leading to an underuse of HCC screening in clinical practice. This funding continues the expansion of GlycoPath's mission to develop rapid based liquid biopsy diagnostics for major diseases and leverages the GlycoTyper™ as a platform for disease prognosis and diagnosis.
SOURCE GlycoPath, Inc.
CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GlycoPath Inc., developer of advanced bioanalytical assays based on its proprietary GlycoTyper™ immunoaffinity technology, announced their launch of the first research-based kit for N-Glycan Imaging Mass Spectrometry, giving researchers the practical expertise and means to determine the tissue spatial distribution of N-glycans to enhance their biomedical investigations.
Each kit not only comes with all the components necessary to complete N-Glycan Imaging, but also includes extensive online resources such as: downloadable protocols, frequently used consumables lists, step-by-step video protocols, certificates of analysis, a glycan database with putative structures, positive controls, and customer service provided by experienced scientists. Kits are available in two sizes and can be purchased through the GlycoPath website. The official kit launch video can be found at www.glycopath.com/introductory-video
Dr. Richard Drake, Chief Executive Officer at GlycoPath, said: "This kit is very applicable to many types of research, from tissue imaging to biofluid profiling, and it can be adaptable to many types of platforms and assays with glycans as a readout. This is an out of the box solution for N-glycan imaging analysis designed for both new and experienced users."
The official launch of this kit was announced at the 69th American Society of Mass Spectrometry Annual Conference held October 31-November 4, 2021 in Philadelphia, PA.
So, what are N-Glycans? Why is studying them so important?
N-glycans are sugars that are covalently bound to proteins, termed glycoproteins. Most cell surface receptors are glycoproteins, and changes to N-glycan structures can affect protein folding, protein stability and cell-cell interaction processes important in the regulation of a variety of diseases. Further understanding and study of the structure and functions of N-glycans will reveal new mechanistic insights to disease states, potential therapeutic targets, and diagnostic clinical tools.
More about the benefits of studying N-glycans can be found at www.glycopath.com/why-glycans
Dr. Anand Mehta, Chief Financial Officer at GlycoPath, said: "A key component of the kits is the action of an enzyme called PNGase F PRIME. This is an enzyme that cleaves off sugars that are attached to the cell surface of the tissue on a histology slide. From a researcher point of view, the provided protocol is very straightforward, and the kit is designed to make N-Glycan Imaging even simpler."
SOURCE GlycoPath, Inc
Recently, Drs. Steve Castellino and Danielle Scott were invited to speak in the new webinar series HTXnext sponsored by HTX Imaging. This webinar and podcast series focuses on researchers, their science and their stories. The full episode can be viewed through HTX’s website or by following the link below!
Additional episodes of the series can be found here: http://www.htximaging.com/htxnext
Technology developed by researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center can detect early-stage liver cancer at double the rate obtained with current standard diagnostic tools.
The technology, which is currently only being used for research purposes, is designed to classify how sugars known as glycans change during the development of cancer. If brought to market, the resulting product would be a rapid blood test that could detect liver fibrosis (or scarring) in its earliest stages, allowing time for intervention before the disease progressed to permanent liver damage or liver cancer. The test could also aid providers in determining the current stage of a patient’s liver disease.
A new seed investment from Bruker Corporation, a company that manufactures scientific instruments and diagnostic solutions, will help the researchers to further develop, validate and commercialize the technology, which is known as GlycoTyper. The researchers hope this support will aid them in bringing the test to market for the benefit of patients within the next few years.
GlycoTyper is a patent-pending technology developed at MUSC and is licensed by GlycoPath Inc. from the MUSC Foundation for Research Development.
Richard Drake, Ph.D., Hollings researcher and chief executive officer of GlycoPath Inc., which has licensed the technology, said, “We are excited to partner with Bruker to develop our clinically important glycan profiling technologies and to make GlycoPath products available to customers worldwide. Our analytical technology links the immune response to disease with circulating biomarkers to provide novel diagnostic tools across the spectrum of cancer, infectious disease and aging.”
The proprietary glycan profiling technology works by first capturing diagnostic glycoproteins from blood using an antibody array slide. The captured glycoproteins are then sprayed with an enzyme that releases the glycans. The glycans that are present on each glycoprotein are analyzed for changes that are associated with liver disease using MALDI imaging mass spectrometry, a laser imaging technique used to find disease biomarkers.
The partnership with Bruker Corporation will link the GlycoTyper technology with Bruker’s precision MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry instrumentation, which will help to accelerate a wider adoption of the approach.
“In the area of liver disease, including liver cancer, GlycoTyper-based analyses were able to detect early-stage cancer at double the rate obtained with the current gold standard markers.”
— Dr. Anand Mehta
What makes the diagnostic assay unique is that it can analyze thousands of proteins from blood or tissue samples quickly, according to the researchers. Current glycan analyses are only able to analyze a small number of proteins at a time, which limits the glycan information that can be collected.
The planned laboratory-developed test would also be unaffected by co-occurring conditions, such as obesity, which are problematic for current diagnostic testing protocols for liver fibrosis.
According to Anand Mehta, Ph.D., Hollings researcher and GlycoPath chief financial officer, GlycoTyper’s ability to analyze thousands of samples quickly demonstrates its potential for use in glycan biomarker studies that extend beyond liver disease and cancer.
“In the area of liver disease, including liver cancer, GlycoTyper-based analyses were able to detect early-stage cancer at double the rate obtained with the current gold standard markers,” said Mehta. “The platform is capable of hundreds to thousands of glycan measurements per day, making it amenable to a wide range of bioanalytical applications in drug development, clinical diagnostics and basic and translational research.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 4.5 million U.S. adults (nearly 2% of the population) have been diagnosed with liver disease. While the disease typically takes years to develop, it often goes unnoticed until it reaches a later stage, when treatment options are scarce and less effective. If it’s diagnosed early, simple lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise and smoking habits can reverse liver damage, as the organ can repair and regenerate itself.
While GlycoTyper’s abilities could be expanded beyond liver disease and cancer to chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, the researchers hope their initial focus on identifying liver fibrosis will help them to meet a pressing health need of the state.
The GlycoTyper technology could be used to identify chronic conditions beyond liver disease in the future. Photo provided
Hollings researcher and GlycoPath chief scientific officer Peggi Angel, Ph.D., said, “GlycoTyper is proving to be an applicable tool for identifying patients with diseases besides cancer and liver disease. Our unique analytical strategy is highly reproducible and robust, offering a strong foundation for additional clinical tools targeting disease-associated glycan changes.”
Glycans are produced in the liver, making liver disease an easy first target. According to the researchers, using the technology to detect liver cancer is simple compared to other applications they have planned.
In the future, they hope to be able to help clinicians to determine whether any type of cancer is present in the body based on the antibodies that are present. This application could be a useful clinical decision-making tool when clinicians are trying to rule out other diseases.
While antibody array technologies have been around for years, the team believes their novel method for glycan analysis can help to fill critical information gaps that still exist in other analysis methods.
Danielle Scott, Ph.D., chief officer of product development at GlycoPath, who received her graduate degree from MUSC, said, “Although the role of glycans and glycoproteins has been evaluated in cancer for decades, the clinical relevance of these studies has been limited due to a lack of clinical assays. GlycoTyper was developed to directly address the need for a more high-throughput method for protein-specific glycan analysis from biological samples.”
GlycoPath Inc. Secures Seed Investment to Further Develop, Validate and Commercialize GlycoTyperTM Mass Spectrometry-Based Assays for Liver Fibrosis, Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer (HCC)
CHARLESTON, South Carolina – March 10th, 2021. GlycoPath Inc., the developer of advanced bioanalytical assays based on its proprietary GlycoTyperTM immunoaffinity technology, announced the closing of its seed investment round with Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR) as a new minority investor. Financial details were not disclosed.
The proprietary GlycoTyperTM glycan profiling technology captures diagnostic glycoproteins from blood using multiplexed antibody slide arrays, followed by direct analysis of the glycans present on each glycoprotein by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Presently, the GlycoTyperTM technology is for research use only.
The initial pathology target for GlycoTyperTM, hepatic fibrosis, is currently one of the fastest growing diseases in the US by annual case numbers, and may affect over 100 million people in the US and 1.5 billion individuals worldwide. In addition to providing initial patient screening and risk stratification for liver fibrosis, the planned LDT (laboratory-developed test) assay will be positioned for routine surveillance of at-risk populations. The test is not affected by co-morbidities such as obesity, which are problematic for current fibrosis diagnostic testing protocols.
Dr. Richard Drake, Chief Executive Officer at GlycoPath, said: “Built on thousands of glycan analyses of tissues and biofluids, integrating our translational research glycan profiling assays with precision Bruker MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry instrumentation will accelerate wider adoption of this approach. Our assays are positioned at the nexus of immune response to disease, and circulating biomarkers with the goal to provide novel diagnostic staging assays across the precursor disease spectrum of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis up to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).”
Dr. Peggi Angel, Chief Scientific Officer at GlycoPath, stated: “In the area of liver disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma, GlycoTyper-based research assays are able to detect early-stage cancer at double the rate obtained with the current gold standard markers. This demonstrates the potential of the GlycoTyperTM technology for glycan biomarker studies, as thousands of samples can be quickly analyzed both at the glycoprotein or glycopeptide level, and converted in the future into a rapid diagnostic screening and staging assay. GlycoTyperTM is also proving to be a promising research assay for stratifying patients with other conditions besides liver disease and liver cancer. Our unique assay is highly reproducible and robust, presenting a strong foundation for future clinical diagnostic assays targeting disease-associated changes in glycosylation.”
Dr. Rohan A. Thakur, the Executive Vice President for Life Science Mass Spectrometry at Bruker Daltonics, commented: “Our partnership with GlycoPath will enable wider access to the GlycoTyperTM research assays based on our MALDI-TOF technology. It is expected to accelerate translational research towards early detection, potentially support therapy selection in precision medicine, and eventually monitor recurrence of potentially progressive conditions like liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, all using non-invasive liquid biopsy techniques. These are exciting developments in translational research in liver disease, and we are honored to partner with the GlycoPath team.”
The initial research-use-only GlycoTyperTM liver fibrosis assay is capable of measuring the glycans of multiple captured glycoprotein targets in a single assay in high throughput by combining the multiplexing features of antibody arrays with MALDI imaging mass spectrometry, creating a new powerful biomarker platform for discovery and validation.
About GlycoPath Inc. – www.glycopath.com/
GlycoPath Inc. is a developer of GlycoTyper-based bioanalytical assays using the Company’s proprietary platform technology, developed at the Medical University of South Carolina and licensed from the MUSC Foundation for Research Development. The GlycoTyperTM platform is capable of measuring the glycans of multiple captured glycoprotein targets in a single assay in high-throughput. Hundreds to thousands of glycan measurements per day are feasible, making it amenable for a wide range of bio-analytical applications in drug development, basic and translation research, as well as clinical diagnostics. The current inventory of immunoaffinity slides and glycan analysis reagents have been configured for glycan analysis in the fields of hepatology, oncology, infectious diseases and pharmaceuticals.
For investor information, contact Anand Mehta: mehtaa@glycopath.com
by: Katie Augustine
Posted: Jul 7, 2020 / 05:52 PM EDT
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – New cutting edge research at MUSC could give patients a little more insight into how COVID-19 could impact them individually.
The new test would tell patients with COVID-19 how bad their experience with the virus will be, and whether they’ll be able to ride it out at home or require a hospital stay.
The complex science behind the research comes down to looking at sugar molecules that are attached to proteins in the bloodstream. Those proteins, called immunoglobulins, fight the virus. The sugars change as the illness develops.
“That change appears to identify those patients who are going to develop a really significant disease,” said Dr. Anand Mehta, a member of the research team and a professor in the pharmacology department at MUSC. “That means they’re going on a ventilator, they’re going to be in a life or death situation as opposed to those patients who really have mild disease that really can just stay home. READ MORE
By Paola Tristan Arruda | July 2, 2020 at 9:24 PM EDT - Updated July 2 at 11:14 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina are developing a test that could predict how severe a patient’s reaction will be to COVID-19.
Dr. Peggi Angel, Dr. Richard Drake, and Dr. Anand Mehta work in MUSC’s Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology. For years, they have individually studied sugars attached to proteins
The test was originally designed to look at how sugars would change with the development of cancer, but they applied the same logic to the virus that causes COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is covered in sugar molecules called gylcans.
Researchers said they test the glycans that are attached to the antibodies, which can change over time with the disease.
“How the sugars are arranged actually form a code and that’s what we are finding predicts outcomes, so how aggressively the virus is going to affect a certain person versus another person who might not experience much of an impact,” Angel said.
If a person tests positive for the disease, researchers say the goal is to be able to predict whether they will have a mild reaction that does not require hospitalization, or a severe reaction that could result in them ending up in the hospital.
Mehta says they would need to wait three to seven days after a person tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a nasal swab test in order to test for the reaction.
"We measure both the antibodies to the virus and all antibodies at the same time. When the immune response first starts the body has weak antibodies that get improved upon through a process of antibody selection," Mehta said. "By measuring all antibodies, we measure these as well. We are also using a very sensitive machine that can detect incredibly small changes in the glycan on only a few antibody molecules."
The researchers say this a multifaceted assay that could help answer other questions related to the virus in the future.
“When vaccine testing begins, this same assay can be useful there to help stratify people that have a good response versus people who have a weak response versus those who have no response,” Drake said.
They have partnered with Bruker, a company that develops scientific instruments that will allow this type of testing to be done quickly.
They hope to have this testing available to MUSC Health clinics before the second wave of COVID-19 hits.
Copyright 2020 WCSC. All rights reserved.
Alyson Black, Peggi Angel, Richard Drake and Anand Mehta release publication in Current Protocols introducing the method that is the background for the GlycoFibrotyper.
Abstract: Antibody panel based N‐glycan imaging is a novel platform for N‐glycan analysis of immunocaptured proteins. N‐glycosylation is a post‐translational modification of pathophysiological importance and is often studied in the context of disease biomarkers. Determination of protein‐specific N‐glycosylation changes in patient samples has traditionally been laborious or limited to study of a single protein per analysis. This novel technique allows for the multiplexed analysis of N‐glycoproteins from biofluids. Briefly, this platform consists of antibodies spotted in an array panel to a microscope slide, specific capture of glycoproteins from a biological sample, and then enzymatic release of N‐glycans for analysis by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS). N‐glycans are detected at each individual spot, allowing N‐glycan information to easily be linked back to its protein carrier. Using this protocol, multiplexed analysis of N‐glycosylation on serum glycoproteins can be performed. Human serum is discussed here, but this method has potential to be applied to other biofluids and to any glycoprotein that can be captured by a validated antibody.
Full article can be found at:
https://currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cpps.99
