Glycans are composed of monosaccharides linked together such as glucose and cover the surface of cells. There are a variety of glycans depending on the type of monosaccharides and how they are connected. They contain the most diverse and complex cellular information. Since the cell surface glycans change greatly depending on the type and properties of cells (differentiation, oncogenesis, etc.), they are increasingly being applied to diagnosing and treating various diseases, and for the quality control of cells used in regenerative medicine as cell markers.

In recent years, techniques have been developed for comprehensively analyzing information like the genes expressed in individual cells, and these techniques are widely used in research fields such as cancer, immunity, the nervous system, and stem cells, etc. Until now, however, it was possible to obtain only the glycan information of cell population units, and there was no method for analyzing the glycans of the surfaces of individual cells. Therefore, it was not possible to obtain glycan information on cancer stem cells, which are rare cells present in tumor tissue, or on blood-circulating tumor cells, which are present only in a small amount in the blood.

Researchers in AIST developed the world-first technology of simultaneously profiling (extracting the characteristics of) the genes and glycans in single cells, termed single cell glycan and RNA sequencing (scGR-seq), in collaboration with the University of Tsukuba.

By using multiple glycan-binding proteins (lectin) conjugated with DNA barcodes, we have developed a technology for simultaneous profiling of glycans, which are cell markers, and genes that indicate cell properties, on a cell-by-cell basis using a next-generation sequencer (DNA-decoding device). This technology contributes to various types of biomedical research, including the development of therapeutic agents targeting disease-causing rare cells, and for quality control for cells used in regenerative medicine.