BioBeyond_NL

BioBeyond_NL provides combined access to cutting-edge mass spectrometry, spatial biology, and glycoscience to enable researchers to unravel biological information beyond the genetic code. Through its solid foundation and future-proof innovation, BioBeyond_NL aims to be a sustainable, (inter)national research infrastructure enabling continuous scientific breakthroughs in biomedicine.

The BioBeyond.NL infrastructure comprises innovative Glycoproteomics equipment, An infrastructure for advanced automated glycochemistry and unique instruments for spatial glycobiology and Molecular imaging. This national large scale scientific infrastructure is based on a solid Dutch fundament of mass spectrometry and glycoscience, augmented with both a data management and infrastructural access program. Combined it provides the Dutch research community the infrastructure to address analytical challenges beyond the genome.

The BioBeyond_NL infrastructure will enable researchers to tackle the next challenge in molecular life sciences, unraveling and understanding biology that extends beyond the genetic code. Although the genome is at the central dogma of biology, it only defines the beginning of life’s complexity. That complexity is defined by the interplay of a plethora of biomolecules in the cascade of synthesis and transformation beyond the genome. The proteins, glycans, lipids, and metabolites downstream of the genetic code regulate the majority of all biological processes.

This complexity beyond the genetic code is convolved with external factors, such as environmental and lifestyle influences, that can affect post-translational protein modifications (PTMs), molecular and cellular interactions, immune function, and metabolism. Elucidating the importance of glycans, in a field of science called glycoscience, would revolutionize disease diagnosis and treatment, yet it remains largely uncracked. Central to BioBeyond_NL is mass spectrometry (MS), an analytical methodology that enables researchers to perform large-scale analysis of (bio)molecules to acquire detailed insight into many non-genetically–encoded interactions and modifications. BioBeyond_NL proposes to establish an accessible, large-scale national infrastructure merging mass spectrometry and glycoscience to enable researchers to investigate these (bio)molecules and to elucidate their function in the context of their natural environment, in greater molecular, spatial, and temporal detail.

BioBeyond_NL comprises three key state-of-the-art infrastructural elements to provide a complete and integrated solution for (inter)national scientists to mine elusive biomolecular information: mass spectrometry technologies for (glyco)proteomics; mass spectrometry technologies for spatial biology; glycoscience technologies for interactomics, glycomics, glycoproteomics, and spatial glycobiology. These three synergistic innovations are spearheaded by Dutch experts in proteomics, MS imaging, and glycobiology who have exceptional track records in research and have provided access to their infrastructures in the Netherlands and Europe for over 15 years. They will expand on and integrate existing LSRIs and European infrastructures, but with new and innovative investments in the foundational national mass spectrometry and glycochemistry infrastructure. BioBeyond_NL aims to invest in innovative infrastructure for single-cell– and single-molecule–based, high-throughput MS and MS-based molecular imaging, augmented with novel chemical probes that target the detailed visualization and modification of glycan complexity in a spatial context as well as labeling workflows for complex, targeted analyses.

Underlining and supporting these infrastructures are integrative artificial intelligence (AI) to enable smart experimentation and data analysis and a streamlined national access program to ensure a broad user base. Through its solid foundation and future-proof innovation/planning, BioBeyond_NL aims to be a sustainable, (inter)national infrastructure enabling researchers in fundamental and applied biomedical scientists to elucidate the vast, complex biology beyond the genome-knowledge key to make breakthroughs in biomedicine and biology.

BioBeyond_NL is a large scale scientific infrastructure funded by the NWO-GWI program. It has been awarded to a national multipartner consortium that comprises of four universities (Maastricht University, Utrecht University, Leiden University medical Centre and Radboud University as well as the roadmap institutions NPC (Utrecht) and M4i (Maastricht). The BioBeyond.NL Consortium has been awarded 17 million euro from NWO, for investments in mass spectrometry, spatial biology, glycochemistry, glycoscience and computational facilities distributed across the consortium parners. The funding will support the national infrastructure over the course of 10 years, aiming at advancing the understanding of the structure and function of (glyco)lipids, (glycol)proteins and sugars in their natural environment.

The coordinator of BioBeyond.NL is prof. dr. Ron Heeren of Maastricht University. The management team of BioBeyond_NL additionally comprises of Dr. Eva Cuypers (Maastricht University); prof. Albert Heck, dr. Kelly Stecker and dr. Pavel Sinitcyn, prof. dr. Geert-Jan Boons, dr. Jack Li and prof. dr. Sanne Abeln (Utrecht University); Prof. Dr. Manfred Wuhrer and Dr. Noortje de Haan (LUMC); Prof. Dr. Dirk Lefeber and Dr. Hans Wessels (Radboud University). The management team will be advised by an international scientific advisory board, a user board and a data management board.

CONSORTIUM



Maastricht University (UM)
www.maastrichtuniversity.nl



Utrecht University (UU)
www.uu.nl



Radboud University (RUMC)
www.radboudumc.nl



Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)
www.lumc.nl