Protein Glycoscience and Biotechnology

Molecular insight into protein-carbohydrate interactions underpinning glycan turn-over and other processes involving glycan-protein interplay, e.g. microbe-host interactions and adhesion, is a prerequisite to harness these interactions to our benefit.  

Our research focuses on: 

• Metabolism of non-digestible glycans by distinct members of the human gut microbiota of relevance to human health
• Fungal carbohydrate active enzymes for complex polysaccharide biomass conversions in biotechnology.

We aim at deciphering the molecular details of complex glycan utilization by bacteria associated to a healthy human gut microbiota for development of diet-supplement based interventions to promote health and combat disorders correlated to microbiota imbalance e.g. obesity, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. We are particularly interested in oligosaccharide transporters likely to be a key determinant of the metabolic specialisation of different taxa in the competitive human gut niche.