An integrated 3D-printed platform for the automated isolation of N-glycans

The development of techniques for the rapid analysis of N-glycans is a key step in enabling the roles of glycoproteins in biological processes to be studied. Analysis is usually performed through the liberation of the carbohydrate moieties from proteins, followed by fluorescent labeling and identification using either standardized HPLC or mass spectrometry techniques. A simple and robust automated process for the release and isolation of N-glycans would greatly improve analytical throughput and reproducibility, and is thus highly desirable. Inspired by the increasing number of reported projects involving open source labware, which allows the design and construction of otherwise inaccessible laboratory equipment using low-cost 3D printers, we used this technique to fabricate a platform for the automated isolation of N-glycans. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the successful recovery of glycan samples from the glycoprotein model fetuin using our self-made 3D-printed equipment.