In September 2025, the National Centre for Biomolecular Research launched 4GLYCO, a platform dedicated to the commercial sale of lectins – specialized proteins capable of recognizing and binding carbohydrates. The platform builds on more than 25 years of lectin research by Michaela Wimmerová research group and is part of the faculty’s ongoing efforts to turn research discoveries into practical applications and support technology transfer.
Why carbohydrates matter
Most people think of carbohydrates (sugars) mainly as a source of energy. In biology, however, they also play a crucial role as informational molecules. On the surface of cells, carbohydrates create complex “sugar labels” that help the body identify the type of cell. Each cell carries its own unique carbohydrate signature.
One of the best-known examples is the ABO blood group system. All blood groups share the same carbohydrate core but differ in the final sugar unit attached at the end of the chain.
Blood group A carries an additional N-acetylgalactosamine compared to blood group O, while blood group B carries galactose. These small differences determine, for example, whether a donor’s and a recipient’s blood are compatible.
Carbohydrates vary between cell types and change not only during development but also as a result of various diseases. In cancer, for example, specific alterations occur in the carbohydrate structures on cell surfaces or on proteins. These changes can serve as important diagnostic markers. One example is PSA, a protein monitored in prostate cancer: not only its level in the blood matters, but also the composition of its carbohydrate portion. This knowledge can contribute to improved diagnostic accuracy.
What are lectins
Lectins are proteins that can recognize and bind carbohydrates. Much like different keys fitting different locks, each lectin recognizes specific carbohydrates and “reads” the information encoded in their structures.
The Michaela Wimmerová research group at the National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, and at CEITEC MU has long focused on studying lectins. The group specializes in lectins from opportunistic pathogens, which can pose a risk to people with weakened immune systems (such as patients with cystic fibrosis or those receiving immunosuppressive therapy). These organisms use lectins to recognize carbohydrate markers on host cells, helping them attach and penetrate the cells.
The team also collaborates with international research groups to develop carbohydrate-based inhibitors that could prevent pathogens from attaching to cells and thereby block infection. In the future, such inhibitors could serve as a complement to, or even an alternative to, antibiotic treatment.
Lectins as research tools
Lectins are also used as molecular tools for mapping carbohydrate structures. By combining different lectins that recognize specific types of sugars, researchers can create a “carbohydrate fingerprint” of a cell or protein. This approach enables detailed monitoring of changes that occur, for example, in cancer, during infection, or during stem cell differentiation. One example is the lectin BC2L-CN, described by the team of Michaela Wimmerová, which has proven to be an exceptionally useful tool: a Japanese research group has shown that it binds exclusively to undifferentiated stem cells, allowing them to be easily distinguished from specialized (differentiated) cells and demonstrating its potential in stem cell research.
The 4GLYCO platform
Lectins offered through the 4GLYCO platform can now also be used for this type of research. Biotechnology companies around the world offer lectins – including those studied by the Michaela Wimmerová group. The decision to make the group’s lectins commercially available was influenced in part by feedback from a reviewer of a grant application, who encouraged the group to share their lectins with the broader scientific community. The 4GLYCO platform now enables researchers worldwide to access these lectins.
As Michaela Wimmerová explains: “Currently, the portfolio includes a basic set of lectins, which will be gradually expanded with new products following the publication of our research results. Some of the offered lectins are unique and have never been commercially available before. For products already on the market, 4GLYCO can offer rigorous quality control and outstanding customer support.”
Štěpán Kubíček studies Bioinformatics at Masaryk University, a joint degree programme of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Informatics. “In my final year of secondary school, I wasn’t completely sure what I actually wanted to study,” he explains. He has always enjoyed natural sciences and was...
At the beginning of the year, three prominent figures will take up leadership roles at departments of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University. Jana Klánová has been reappointed Director of the RECETOX Centre, while Michaela Wimmerová will continue as Director of the National Centre for Biomolecular...
