Learning the language of sugars

We’re told not to eat too much sugar, but in reality, all of our cells are covered in sugar molecules called glycans. Glycans regulate many important processes including infection by bacteria and viruses, but little is known about them because their structures are highly complex. A team has now created a new suite of deep learning and bioinformatics tools that enable the comprehensive study of glycan sequences, providing insights into their functions and improving our understanding of infectious diseases.