GlycoSHIELD: New Software Revolutionizes Drug Development

Scientists create an innovative technique for rapid prediction of the morphology of sugar coats on clinically relevant proteins.
Proteins play essential roles in cell survival and significantly impact the development and progression of diseases. To grasp their function in health and disease, scientists investigate proteins’ three-dimensional atomic configurations through experimental and computational techniques.

Over 75 percent of proteins present at the surface of our cells are covered by glycans. These sugar-like molecules form very dynamic protective shields around the proteins. However, the mobility and variability of the sugars make it difficult to determine how these shields behave, or how they influence the binding of drug molecules.