Overview of GlycanBuilder
GlycanBuilder is an open-source glycan drawing tool that allows intuitive visualization and editing of glycan structures. Widely used in the fields of glycoscience and glycan analysis, it enables researchers to represent complex glycan structures accurately and clearly.
In addition to glycan visualization, GlycanBuilder features database integration for retrieving related biological information, such as glycan-related genes, species data, and 3D structural information. This supports efficient research workflows and helps integrate scattered glycan knowledge.
Development Background
Compared to other biomolecules such as DNA and proteins, glycans have long been considered difficult to describe and visualize. As a result, there has been a strong demand for tools that help researchers easily draw and share glycan structures.
In response to this need, the initial version of GlycanBuilder was developed around 2007 as part of the European research project "EuroCarbDB."
Current Development Framework
After the conclusion of the EuroCarbDB project, development of GlycanBuilder was taken over by Soka University and the Noguchi Institute, a public interest incorporated foundation.
Currently, the Noguchi Institute is leading ongoing development and improvements, including user interface enhancements, new feature additions, and expanded visualization capabilities.
Acknowledgements
A part of this work is supported by NBDC of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
Citation
When citing GlycanBuilder in academic papers or presentation materials, please refer to the following publication:
Shinichiro Tsuchiya, Nobuyuki P. Aoki, Daisuke Shinmachi, Masaaki Matsubara, Issaku Yamada, Kiyoko F. Aoki-Kinoshita, Hisashi Narimatsu,
Implementation of GlycanBuilder to draw a wide variety of ambiguous glycans,
Carbohydrate Research, Volume 445, 2017, Pages 104–116.