Ottawa, Canada, September 5, 2014 – Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. announced today that Professor Hongbin (Tony) Yan of Brock University has received an NSERC Engage grant for a project entitled Labelling glycans with BODIPY fluorophores.

BODIPY fluorophores possess a number of unique properties that have led to their increasing popularity in a wide range of applications. Compared with other commercially available fluorophores such as fluoresceins, rhodamines, and cyanines, BODIPY fluorophores are in general more stable, both chemically and photochemically. Moreover, BODIPY fluorescent properties are relatively pH- and environment-independent, which is a very useful feature in many applications.

The project is expected to combine Sussex Research expertise in the preparation of glycoconjugates and glycans having functionalized linker/spacer systems with the Brock team’s capabilities in BODIPY chemistry. The project is expected to result in a new class of BODIPY fluorophore functionalized carbohydrate-based products.for use in the fields of molecular biology and glycobiology.

According to Brady Clark, President & CEO of Sussex Research, “As industrial partner on the project, Sussex Research is very pleased to support Professor Yan and his research team. The Yan laboratory are experts in BODIPY chemistry with a proven track record of working with BODIPY. This collaboration will extend the novel product portfolio of Sussex Research and make BODIPY-labelled glycans available to researchers worldwide.”

About Sussex Research: As a leading specialist in glycodesign and the synthesis of complex carbohydrates, Sussex Research excels at the discovery and development of molecules that explore and exploit glycobiology. Sussex Research excels in the design, synthesis and characterization of molecules that incorporate glycotechnology. Our unique product portfolio and carbohydrate synthesis capabilities enable researchers across a variety of scientific disciplines to readily explore and exploit glycobiology in order to enhance the therapeutic potential of small molecules, peptides, proteins, lipids and oligonucleotides. For more information visit www.sussex-research.com.