Agilent Presents Thought Leader Award to Professor Hyun Joo An

Korean researcher recognized for her work in glycomics and biopharma applications

-Agilent Technologies has announced that Professor Hyun Joo An has received an Agilent Thought Leader Award in support of her work in glycomics and biopharmaceutical applications.

Dr. Hyun Joo An is a professor at the Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, in Daejeon, South Korea. She also heads the Asia Glycomics Reference Site (AGRS), a collaboration between Agilent and the university’s Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology. The AGRS supports the Asia-Pacific scientific community and industry in the field of glycoanalysis and glycotechnology, promoting collaborative research to develop and enhance the biosimilars industry, which is helping scientists to develop new treatments to cure or prevent diseases.

"By supporting the work of leading researchers like Professor An, Agilent is contributing to advance the fields of glycan analysis, biopharmaceutical characterization, and quality control," stated executive sponsor of the award Kevin Killeen, Ph.D., Business Transition Manager for Agilent-ProZyme. "The research is expected to result in much-needed reference libraries for the mass spectral analysis and identification of glycans. The importance is clear when you realize that more than half of the approved biopharmaceuticals are glycosylated and that regulators around the world require glycosylation characterization of therapeutic glycoproteins."

Dr. Killeen noted that identifying new structural entities, which is gaining increased emphasis among researchers, could have profound implications for the treatment of various cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, heart ailments, and infectious diseases.

"I am honored by this award from Agilent, which will allow us to build a glycome database using HILIC LC/MS. This is a great opportunity to accelerate our mass spectrometry-based glycomic research and deepen our partnership," said Prof. An. "Detailed glycomic analyses are important to assess biotherapeutic quality and establish the equivalency of biosimilars now coming into the market. As biopharmaceutical glycosylation is becoming more complex, the glycan database will be essential because it will enable automated and user-independent analysis."

"Chungnam National University is particularly prominent in the field of bio and pharmaceutical technology, and we are very pleased to work with a global innovation company such as Agilent," stated Professor Deog-Seong Oh, president of the Chungnam National University.

"The importance of industry-university cooperation is emphasized in times when open innovation is required through linkages between companies and universities," added Dr. Young-Seak Lee, director, Foundation of Research and Business, at Chungnam National University. "In this regard, the collaboration between Chungnam National University and Agilent is of great significance. We will do our best to make this project a success."

The Agilent Thought Leader Award promotes fundamental scientific advances by contributing financial support, products, and expertise to the research of influential thought leaders in the life sciences, diagnostics, and chemical analysis space. Further information, including previous award recipients, is available at Agilent's Thought Leader Award web page.

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