Specific to carbohydrate antigens
Antibodies in the bank are directed against tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens rather than protein targets — the differentiated target class that defines GlycoNex's approach to oncology.
TECHNOLOGY · GLYCOSH ANTIBODY BANK
GlycoSH Antibody Bank
A two-decade collection of monoclonal antibodies against tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens — the discovery foundation behind every GlycoNex program, and an asset available for partnered drug discovery.
Origin
Two Decades of Anti-Glycan Antibodies
GlycoNex was founded in 2001 on the pioneering glycobiology of Dr. Sen-itiroh Hakomori, who first developed a series of monoclonal antibodies to identify the diverse carbohydrate antigens displayed on tumor-cell surfaces. GlycoNex consolidated these assets into the GlycoSH antibody bank — the core of its glycan-antibody drug discovery platform, and one of the most extensive collections of anti-glycan monoclonal antibodies assembled for oncology. See the Technology overview for the full historical context.
The premise underlying the entire collection is a biological asymmetry: many carbohydrate antigens overexpressed on cancer cells are minimally present on healthy human tissue. Antibodies that recognize these glycans can therefore selectively engage tumor cells while sparing normal tissue — and because a single tumor cell can display the same carbohydrate epitope across multiple glycoprotein and glycolipid scaffolds, anti-glycan antibodies can achieve higher-density, multiple-site binding than most protein-targeted approaches.
The Collection
Development-Ready Antibody Starting Material
Well-characterized specificity
Binding specificity and glycan-recognition profiles are defined for antibodies in the collection, supporting rational selection of candidates for therapeutic and diagnostic programs.
Antibody sequences available
Sequence information is available for development — enabling humanization, engineering, and conversion into antibody-drug conjugates, pro-antibodies, and bispecific formats.
Ready for production
Selected antibodies are ready to advance into cell-line development and GMP-compatible manufacturing through GlycoNex's integrated, in-house platform.
Glycan Analytics
An Integrated Glycosylation Analytics Platform
The structural complexity and heterogeneity of cell-surface glycans pose major challenges for developing and characterizing glycan-directed therapeutics. To address them, GlycoNex has established an integrated glycosylation analytics platform that combines liquid chromatography (LC), ion chromatography (IC), mass spectrometry (MS), and the glycan-recognition capabilities of the GlycoSH antibody bank.
Together these methods enable comprehensive characterization of glycans in biologics samples — qualitative, quantitative, and glycoform analyses. The platform supports end-to-end needs, from target validation and companion biomarker discovery through process control and lot-to-lot consistency, providing traceable glycan readouts that accelerate development for both innovative therapeutics and biosimilars.
Pipeline Applications