Vector’s lectins and Navinci’s in situ PLA technology converge to provide deeper insights with seamless integration into your workflow.
The Glysite™ Explorer in situ PLA Glycan Detection Kit is a fully integrated tool for the spatial detection of glycans proximal to a protein of interest in FFPE tissues, FFPE cell pellets, and fixed cells. This kit integrates a curated panel of Vector’s Glysite™ Explorer Lectins and detection reagents with Navinci’s proprietary in situ Proximity Ligation Assay (isPLA). Glysite™ Explorer Lectins, covering eight major glycan categories, can be selected individually by researchers to pair with their primary antibody targeting a protein of interest. This provides a simple approach to understand protein glycosylation with a spatial context.
How Glysite™ Explorer Empowers Protein Glycosylation Research
Protein glycosylation is a vital post-translational modification that influences protein function, stability, and cellular communication. It plays a major role in health and disease, making it a key area of research in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and disease diagnostics.
This kit is the first of its kind and plugs into your IHC workflow for the spatial visualization of protein-glycan proximity, unlocking a new dimension of data from your samples. Built on Vector’s validated lectins and a robust isPLA technology, this kit provides an optimized protocol for evaluating the glycosylation states of proteins.
Protein Glycosylation, Visualized
Reveal glycosylation patterns to unlock deeper biological insights.
- Investigate the glycosylation status of proteins and validate glycan-modulated targets
- Gain orthogonal data that goes beyond standard spatial protein detection
- Ideal for biomarker discovery, translational research, and the study of disease biology
Seamless Integration, No Special Setup
Gain insights into glycosylation without changing your workflow.
- Designed to plug directly into standard IHC and isPLA protocols
- No need for specialized equipment, additional training, or complex setup
- Fast, easy, and reproducible workflow—run and analyze your sample in one day
Diverse Sample Compatibility
Analyze glycosylation across a wide range of sample types.
- Works with FFPE tissues, FFPE cells, and fixed cells
- Enables comparative studies across archived and fresh samples
- Adds additional glycosylation analysis using existing samples and processes
Reliable, Validated Technology
Built for confidence and reproducibility.
- Uses validated lectins and a robust isPLA technology
- Curated components ensure specificity and consistency across experiments
- Backed by optimized protocols and quality manufacturing processes
Use Case: Immune Checkpoint Investigations with Harvard’s Barthel and Schatton Labs
This kit gives researchers spatial insight into protein-glycan co-localization in native environments. Unlike traditional methods, it combines glycan and protein detection in a single assay — ideal for early discovery and preclinical research, and for orthogonally validating findings from other techniques.
“Without this product, we would not have been able to easily characterize diverse glycan structures on the cellular target protein of interest or compare glycan motifs across distinct cell types of the tumor microenvironment.”
Dr. Steven Barthel and Dr. Tobias Schatton co-direct the Program of Glyco-Immunology and Oncology (PGIO) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Their teams use the Glysite™ Explorer isPLA Glycan Detection Kit to explore the proximity of glycans to immune checkpoint proteins in melanoma cells and a variety of immune cell subsets. This data will add to the growing understanding of the impact of glycosylation on the tumor microenvironment and cancer progression.
isPLA of melanoma cells using the Glysite Explorer Kit and a Glysite Explorer Lectin paired with a primary antibody against an immune checkpoint protein
How the Glysite™ Explorer in situ PLA Glycan Detection Kit Works
This kit combines trusted Glysite™ Explorer Lectins and detection reagents from Vector Laboratories with Navinci’s isPLA protocol to provide a streamlined workflow for unlocking a new dimension of data from your samples — just add a mouse or rabbit primary antibody of your choice.
Schematic of Glysite™ Explorer in situ PLA Glycan Detection Kit. A. Lectin binds to the target glycan and primary antibody binds to the target protein. B. Oligo probes bind to the primary antibody and lectin. C. When oligo probes are in proximity (~40 nm), ligation occurs. D. Amplification and detection produces a colored precipitate at the site of proximity.
Product Configuration and Ordering
Glysite™ Explorer in situ PLA Glycan Detection Kit (GEK-1000) includes all required components — just add one Glysite™ Explorer Lectin and one mouse or rabbit primary antibody of your choice to perform your assay.
Glysite™ Explorer isPLA Glycan Detection Kit (GEK-1000) with SNA Lectin (50x, GEK-1309) paired with a primary antibody against GFAP in FFPE normal human brain and malignant brain tumor (anaplastic astrocytoma).
Glysite™ Explorer isPLA Glycan Detection Kit (GEK-1000) with SNA Lectin (50x, GEK-1309) paired with a primary antibody against HER2 in BT474 FFPE cell pellet. Sample was co-stained with Hematoxylin QS.
Glysite™ Explorer isPLA Glycan Detection Kit (GEK-1000) with SNA Lectin (50x, GEK-1309) paired with a primary antibody against CD20 in FFPE Human Tonsil. Sample was co-stained with Hematoxylin QS.
Resources
Product Information
Learn more about how the Glysite™ Explorer Kit provides a streamlined approach to unravel protein glycosylation in any sample.
Download FlyerGuidebook: Glycobiology and Cancer
Learn more about how Vector reagents support investigation of complex glycans in cancer research.
Learn MoreLectin Infographic
Explore how lectins serve as powerful research tools for a variety of applications.
Learn MoreNovel Tools for Spatial Profiling in Brain Pathology
Learn how Glysite Explorer and cleavable fluorescent probes from Spatomics enable spatial imaging of protein expression and glycosylation in complex tissues.
Download Poster
Guidebook: Glycobiology 101
Explore the world of glycobiology, including implications in health and disease and applications of lectins.
Learn MoreGlycobiology Resources
Explore our suite of products and resources to help researchers profile, characterize, and capture complex glycans in biological systems.
Learn MorePress Release: Advancing Functional Proteomics with Navinci
This continuation of our partnership with Navinci is part of our shared mission to bring glyco-insights to researchers everywhere.
Learn More
