The Glycan Code of Immunity and Cancer

About This Webinar

Join us for an in-depth fireside chat with Dr. Rebeca Kawahara, Visiting Associate Professor at Nagoya University, as she unpacks her team’s latest glycoproteomics research at the intersection of immunology and oncology. Using complementary glycomics and glycopeptide-based mass spectrometry workflows, Dr. Kawahara’s work reveals a striking overlap in glycosylation patterns—specifically, the emergence of truncated paucimannosidic structures—in both neutrophil granules and colorectal tumors. This webinar explores how compartment-specific glycan signatures can inform not only our understanding of innate immune cell biology, but also reveal potential noninvasive biomarkers for cancer prognosis

What you will learn:

• Neutrophil granules carry distinct sugar patterns that reflect their immune functions.
• Truncated glycans like paucimannose are biologically meaningful, not just cellular leftovers.
• Cancer and immune cells can share glycosylation signatures, revealing unexpected biological parallels.
• Integrated glycoproteomics and advanced data analysis unlock these insights with clarity and confidence.

Our Speaker

Dr. Rebeca Kawahara is a Visiting Associate Professor at the Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Nagoya University, Japan. Her research focuses on glycosylation in human biology and disease, with particular emphasis on innate immune cell development and cancer. She applies integrated glycomics and glycoproteomics approaches to uncover the structural diversity of glycan modifications and their biological implications. Dr. Kawahara’s recent publications in PNAS and Molecular & Cellular Proteomics highlight novel glycan signatures in neutrophils and colorectal cancer tissues, expanding our understanding of glycosylation as both a biomarker and a functional modulator of disease.