Measuring and distinguishing sugar patterns on proteins
Official title: Quantitative Characterization of Glycopeptide Isomers
Funded at Texas Tech University · NIH-11299509 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops lab methods to measure subtle sugar decorations on proteins that could help researchers studying Alzheimer’s disease, COVID-19, and other conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Tech University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lubbock, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2019 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $328,960 |
| NIH project number | 5R01GM130091-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11299509 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Alzheimer’s disease or others willing to donate blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or tissue samples for biomarker research would be appropriate contributors to follow-up studies.
✕Less likely to help
This project does not offer direct therapy, so patients seeking immediate treatment benefit or those not able to provide samples are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, researchers in this project are improving lab tools that read tiny sugar attachments on proteins linked to disease. They will combine special chromatography, isotope labeling, targeted mass spectrometry, chemical tagging, and better software to separate, count, and identify nearly identical sugar-protein forms. These lab advances aim to make detection faster and more reliable so disease-related changes are clearer. While this work is mainly in the lab, the improved measurements could be used on blood, spinal fluid, or tissue samples from patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the new methods could make it easier to detect disease-linked sugar changes and speed biomarker discovery for diagnosis or treatment development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous glycoproteomics studies have found disease-associated sugar changes, but reliably distinguishing isomeric glycopeptides is still a newer and technically challenging goal.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mechref, Yehia — Texas Tech University
- Study coordinator: Mechref, Yehia
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.