“In analogy to the current situation in Cosmology, glycans can be considered as the ‘dark matter of the biological universe: a major and critical component that has yet to be fully incorporated into the ‘standard model’ of biology.”
Ajit Varki and Stuart Kornfeld, Essentials of Glycobiology, 3rd Edition, 2017.
Welcome to Glyco@Oz
the society connecting Australian glycoscientists
We are the society that connects and informs Australian glycoscientists across institutions, career levels and interest areas.
Do you speak glyco? Your cells do.
Every living cell on this planet is covered by a glycocalyx, which is a dense layer formed by glycoproteins, glycolipids, proteoglycans and polysaccharides. Cell surface, extracellular matrix and also body fluid proteins are extensively modified with specific sugar moieties, so called glycans. These glycans, in conjunction with their respective proteins, form the basis for a universal language (glycome) used between cells that is also abused by pathogens and cancer cells. It is well established that even small changes in the cellular glycosylation can severely affect the function and behaviour of cells. Studies addressing global changes in glycosylation (glycomics) have clearly shown disease-associated alterations of the glycome, but the impact of such changes on the function of individual glycoproteins can just be studied individually for each protein and protein-ligand complex (glycoproteomics).
The Australian Glycoscience Society (Glyco@Oz)
Annual General Meeting of the Australian Glycoscience Society

Dear AGS members,
Our annual general meeting is happening soon.
Location:
- The Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort, 69-425 Waikōloa Beach Dr, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738, United States OR
- Online via Zoom
Date:
- Monday 6th of November 2023, 2:30-3:30pm (Hawaii time) OR
- Tuesday 7th of November 2023, 10:30-11:30am (Sydney time)
We look forward to seeing you there!
ECR and MCR Awards – Call for Nominations
We are pleased to share that our society has established an AGS Early-Career Research (ECR) Award, and an AGS Mid-Career Research (MCR) Award to recognise and celebrate the achievements, impact, contributions and leadership potential of the younger segment of our AGS membership base. All AGS members across disciplines, institutions, genders and ethnicities who satisfy the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply.
The deadline for nominations is December 20, 2023, 5 PM (Sydney time).
More details on nominations can be found here.

AGS@LorneProteomics – Call for Abstracts
Following our successful initiatives in 2023 that has allowed AGS members to attend the Canadian Glycomics meeting, Glyco26 in Taiwan and the upcoming SfG meeting in Hawaii, the AGS has teamed up with the Australian Proteomics Society (APS) to host and organise a Glyco-session at the 29th Lorne Proteomics Symposium. The conference will take place from the 31st of January to the 3rd of February 2024 in Lorne, VIC.
The Glyco-session @Lorne2024 will feature a keynote lecture and a number of talks selected from the abstracts submitted directly to the Lorne Proteomics conference. Selection will of talks will be based on their alignment with the conference, their novelty and relevance.
All AGS members are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts and attend the Lorne Proteomics Symposium. It will be a great opportunity to further boost the strong ties between the APS and AGS.
In case they are an active AGS member in 2024, the presenting authors of the abstracts selected for an oral presentation within the Glyco-session will be awarded $160 – support towards their registration costs from the AGS. This will be re-imbursed after the conference.
Abstracts are due on the 10th of November 2023 (to be submitted directly through the Lorne Proteomics conference portal), with the early bird registration closing on the 8th of December 2023. For abstract submission and more details, please visit here

5th Australasian Glycoscience Symposium
Save the date!
The 5th AustralAsian Glycoscience Symposium is held on August 27-30, 2024 at Wharewaka Function Centre in the wonderful Wellington, New Zealand.
The event website is now live, check it out here.


Congratulations to Professor Paul Gleeson!
We are absolutely thrilled to share the wonderful news that the AGS Board has collectively and enthusiastically chosen to honour Professor Paul Gleeson from the University of Melbourne. We decided to bestow upon him a prestigious five-year Honorary Membership to the Australian Glycoscience Society! This esteemed recognition comes as a heartfelt tribute to his immense and impactful contributions to the field of glycosciences, not only in Australia, but also a wider region.
A hearty congratulations to Professor Gleeson!

Interested in becoming a Glyco@Oz member?
Join the Australian Glycoscience Society (AGS) today to become part of a growing and vibrant network of Australian and international glycoscientists who share a passion for the ‘science of sugars’.
Benefits of AGS membership include:
- Connect with glycoscientists across affiliations, disciplines and career levels
- Stay up to date with news across the glycosciences
- Influence the direction of the glycosciences in Australia and abroad
- Access to awards, prizes and travel support
- Reduced registration fee at Australasian Glycoscience Symposia
Get in Touch
Glyco@Oz is still being developed, therefore any feedback regarding the webpage layout and content is highly appreciated.
Please do not hesitate to contact us via email or by filling in the form below.
Sustaining member

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