Manchester scientists find cleaner way to deliver hard-to-move sugars directly into cells

Scientists in Manchester have developed a simpler way to transport water-loving sugar molecules directly into mammalian cells, removing the need for organic solvents normally used to get them across the cell membrane.

Glycans are involved in cell signalling, immunity and interactions with pathogens, but their chemistry makes them difficult to move into cells for research. Professor Matthew Gibson's team used a small boron-based superchaotropic structure to carry the molecules through the membrane.

The delivered sugars were then metabolised by the cells and could be used to modify their surfaces, giving researchers another tool for studying glycobiology, infection and recently discovered glycoRNA.

The technique is still a research method rather than a therapy. Its advantage is practical: making an awkward class of biological molecules easier to study without introducing solvents researchers would rather keep out of the experiment.