Glycomics is the study of oligosaccharides in biological fluids as a new source of biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of various pathologies. However, although the characterization of oligosaccharides by mass spectrometry (MS) is efficient, the materials used for sample preparation impose many manual and time-consuming steps that are incompatible with high-throughput analysis in a clinical setting1.
In close collaboration with LI-MS (JOLIOT/DMTS/SPI), we have developed expertise in the fabrication of miniaturized Hierarchical Porosity Monoliths (HPMs)2. We can produce them in various shapes (columns, capillaries) and sizes (I.D.: 0.05 – 5 mm) and integrate them into miniaturized extraction devices (cartridges, fluidic tubes, etc.). Their application to the extraction and purification of oligosaccharides present in human biofluids (plasma, human milk) prior to detection by MALDI-TOF MS has resulted in a new sample preparation protocol for glycomics analysis that is more efficient, accelerated (time divided by 3) and simplified (3 steps vs. 7 previously) (Fig. 1)3.
This research project continues to address the first key phase of sample preparation, corresponding to the enzymatic cleavage between oligosaccharides and proteins, which remains a limiting step in the glycomic analysis process (Figure 1). To achieve this, we are working on the functionalization of porous materials, in particular HPMs. The development and coupling of these innovative materials will lead to automated sample preparation in a single step and within a few hours.
References:
1. Goyallon, A. et al. Evaluation of a Combined Glycomics and Glycoproteomics Approach for Studying the Major Glycoproteins Present in Biofluids: Application to Cerebrospinal Fluid, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2015, 29 (6), 461–473, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.7125
2. Brevet FR3131226A1, Procédé de fabrication d’un monolithe poreux par un procédé sol-gel, 2021
3. Thèse Marc Maleval, Développement de matériaux poreux innovants pour l’analyse glycomique, UPSaclay, 2023