Technical barriers have left the glycomics field under-explored with a huge potential for discovery and biomedical applications. We are developing novel enabling technologies to overcome these barriers using a genetic approach to glycomics. Our unique strategies to glycomics are based on a genetic entry point and designed for open-ended and opportunistic Ome-wide discovery. The grand idea is to transform glycosciences from a field largely only approachable to specialists into a mainstream “Omics” field approachable to non-specialists with an ease comparable to the genome and proteome fields today. Our specific discovery programs GlycoDisplay, GlycoCRISPR, GlycoDesign, and GlycoView are developing unique reagents, tools and community resources that will help bring glycosciences into a new phase where studying the biology of glycans becomes as intuitive as building with “Lego”.

Lundbeck Foundation funded program (2017-19) to develop an innovative cell-based platform to display all human glycans individually in an arrayable format. Such a library of genetically engineered cells with different glycans will enable high throughput screening and discovery of glycan functions in the natural context of the cell. The glycan cell library is sustainable and addressable by any multiplex assay format.

Prizes

• The Benzow Prize (1994)
• The Thureus Prize (1998)
• Mizutani Prize (1999)
• The Carlsberg Biotechnology Prize (2008) 

Editorial

• Editorial board of Glycoconjugate J (1995-)
• Editorial board of J. Biol.Chem. (2004-)

Organization Conferences (organiser, co-organiser, session chair)

Benzon Symposia #36, Copenhagen (1993), Nordic Glycobiology Symposia, Copenhagen (1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004), International Cancer-Associated Mucin Workshop, Cambridge/Crete (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009), International workshop on mucin glycosylation, Copenhagen (1997), XIII International Symposium on Glycoconjugates, Zürich (1997), Symposium on carbohydrate and immunity, Lesbos (1997, 1999), Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, Oslo (1998), International Workshop on Glycosylation and Immunity, Greece (2001), Glycosyltransferases in the New Millennium, Toronto (2000), Gordon Conference on Glycobiology, Ventura, Los Angeles (2001), International Glycosyltransferase Symposium, Stockholm (2002), International Glycosyltransferase Symposium, Le Touquet (2004), International Glycosyltransferase Symposium, Tsukuba, Japan (2006). International Glycosyltransferase Symposium, Atlanta, USA(2008).Benzon Symposium #54, Copenhagen (2007).