Deciphering a Key Cellular Ingredient in Human Disease & Genetics: Sugar

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center explores the molecular intricacies of sugars and their impact on immunology, genetics, and biology

For most, sugar evokes thoughts of snacks and desserts—plus the calories that accompany them. Scientists at the University of Georgia Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC), however, see sugar in a different light.

Glycoscience is the study of the sugars—or complex carbohydrates—that coat our cells and play a fundamental part in how our bodies contract or combat disease, regulate biological processes, and even express genetic differences.

Garnering nearly $500 million in grants and contracts since its founding, the CCRC is driving cutting-edge basic science that can unlock key insights through glycoscience into human disease, genetics, and biology, positioning the University of Georgia as a world leader in this critical area of research.

A closeup of a hand holding a small test tube over a tray of similar tubes.

Glycans are a basic building block of life. New tools and training at the CCRC will offer key insight into the field of glycoscience.

I joined the University of Georgia in 2024 because it is home to one of the largest concentrations of glycobiologists in the nation—and possibly the world.”
Nathan Lewis, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Eminent Expertise

Carbohydrate researchers Peter Albersheim and Alan Darvill embarked on an ambitious goal in the 1980s: creating a center dedicated to the burgeoning field of glycoscience.

In 1985, the scientists and 14 members of Peter’s lab moved to UGA to do just that. The CCRC quickly became a space where scientists from different disciplines could collaborate on the science of carbohydrates.

Now home to one of the largest concentrations of glycoscientists in the world, the center boasts hundreds of researchers and staff, including three Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars, a distinction for leading scientists in strategic research areas for the state.

Researchers like systems biologist and GRA Eminent Scholar Nathan Lewis and Robert Haltiwanger, GRA Eminent Scholar in Biomedical Glycoscience, dedicate their work to studying complex carbohydrates’ nuanced connections to autism spectrum disorder, heart defects, dementia, rare diseases, virus transmission, and cancer. As former president of the Society for Glycobiology and former editor-in-chief of a leading glycoscience journal, Haltiwanger has long been recognized as a preeminent voice in the field.

bioengineering second image- man in blue button down shirt with glasses standing outside

Nathan Lewis, Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Molecular Cell Biology

A brightly lit laboratory with wooden stairs leading to a large piece of equipment.

Stephanann Costello, a postdoctoral researcher, advances her research at the CCRC.

Best-in-Class Facilities

To conduct their work, CCRC researchers depend on advanced technology like the center’s 1.1 GHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (pictured above), a 10-ton device and one of the most powerful spectrometers in the world.

Art Edison, GRA Eminent Scholar in NMR Spectroscopy, uses the instrument to analyze intricate biological samples at high resolutions. “It improves our ability to study these types of biological molecules and ultimately to learn more about how they relate to human disease and basic biology,” Edison said.

In addition to this spectrometer, the CCRC’s 140,000 square foot facility houses five spectroscopes, dozens of mass spectrometers, more than 20 labs, an auditorium, and a computational laboratory. The center’s world-renowned Analytical Services and Training unit also offers hands-on and virtual glycobiology training for students, postdocs, and visiting scientists from academic, industry, and government labs worldwide.

Momentum in Molecular Science

These complex technologies receive funding through competitive national grants, including two recent awards from the National Science Foundation: $40 million in 2021 and an $18 million Biofoundries award in 2024, which further establish UGA as a national glycoscience hub.

In addition, a recent award for the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and the Center for Molecular Medicine, both of which work within or alongside the CCRC, showcase the multifaceted impact and momentum of the center’s faculty.

For decades, glycoscientists have understood that sugars are more than just a dietary concern: They’re a critical element in human and plant biology and health. As a prominent hub at the forefront of this science, UGA’s CCRC is poised to continue advancing that knowledge for decades to come.

The CCRC is one of the world’s leading research organizations in its field.