Letter of Intent Signed among GlySpace Alliance, J-GlycoNet, and HGA to Strengthen Collaboration; GaLSIC Symposium Held

On January 17, 2025, a signing ceremony for a Letter of Intent (LOI) was held at Soka University between the GlySpace Alliance, J-GlycoNet, and the Human Glycome Atlas (HGA) project. The LOI was signed by Professor Nicolle Packer (Macquarie University), representing the GlySpace Alliance, and Professor Kenji Kadomatsu (Nagoya University, Tokai National Higher Education and Research System), representing J-GlycoNet and HGA, in the presence of Director, Distinguished Professor Shoko Nishihara and Deputy Director, Professor Kiyoko F. Aoki-Kinoshita of the Glycan and Life Systems Integration Center (GaLSIC), Soka University.

Prior to the signing ceremony, the GaLSIC Symposium was held with the support of J-GlycoNet and HGA. The symposium featured presentations on the GlySpace Alliance and the HGA project, attended by faculty members and students of Soka University who actively engaged in discussions. From the United States, Professor Michael Tiemeyer and Dr. Rene Ranzinger (University of Georgia) introduced GlyGen's integrated glycan, glycoprotein, and gene information database. Professor Frederique Lisacek (Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics) presented Glycomics@Expasy’s knowledgebase and analytical tools focusing on glycan-binding proteins and lectins. Professor Kinoshita introduced GlyCosmos, a portal integrating glycan-related databases and repositories from various organisms and discussed its potential in discovering new insights through machine learning. Professor Kadomatsu explained how elucidating glycans—the third chain of life following nucleic acids and proteins—can help uncover mysteries of life that have remained unresolved. He also spoke about the HGA project’s efforts in comprehensive analysis of human glycans, development of automated analysis platforms, the creation of the TOHSA knowledgebase, and the importance of collaboration with the GlySpace Alliance.

The GlySpace Alliance is a global consortium of glycoscience web portals, comprising GlyGen (USA), Glycomics@Expasy (Switzerland), and GlyCosmos (Japan). The alliance plays a central role in providing databases and repositories, as well as establishing data standards for glycans, glycan complexes, lectins, and related gene information. GlyCosmos is a glycan-related database portal developed in Japan and managed under the leadership of Professor Seiko Kinoshita at GaLSIC.

J-GlycoNet (Joint Usage/Research Center Glyco Science Cooperative Network) is a collaborative research network based on three institutions: iGCORE (Tokai National Higher Education and Research System), ExCELLS (National Institutes of Natural Sciences), and GaLSIC (Soka University). The network aims to promote interdisciplinary glycoscience research both domestically and internationally.

The HGA (Human Glycome Atlas) project is part of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) “Large-Scale Academic Frontier Promotion Project.” Its mission is to analyze and compile comprehensive human glycan data, build and release the TOHSA knowledgebase, and contribute to improving human health and well-being.

Photos from the signing ceremony and the GaLSIC Symposium are shown below.