On April 1, 2026, Nagoya University and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) formally signed an agreement to establish the International Research Laboratory (IRL) “Multidisciplinary International Research for Advancing Innovation in Glycosciences,” or simply “GlycoMIRAI.” Nagoya University President Naoshi Sugiyama and CNRS Chairman and CEO Antoine Petit signed the agreement during a ceremony held at the French ambassador’s residence in Tokyo.
GlycoMIRAI will be dedicated to advancing research in glycoscience: the study of glycans, or sugar chains, which coat the surface of virtually every living cell and are critical to many biological phenomena. Despite their fundamental importance to life, glycans remain far less studied than genes or proteins. The new laboratory aims to help close that gap, working closely with the Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE).
Affiliated researchers will pursue four flagship themes: exploring molecular biodiversity with a focus on marine organisms; elucidating infection mechanisms and developing anti-infective molecules; investigating glycan involvement in neural regeneration and neurodegeneration; and understanding metabolic diseases linked to glycan defects and proposing associated diagnostic tools.
“GlycoMIRAI aims to bring the knowledge and concepts of glycoscience to bear on key societal challenges, drawing on the multidisciplinary expertise of the French and Japanese research communities, which have a long history of scientific collaboration,” said GlycoMIRAI Director Yann Guérardel. “Among its many benefits, the laboratory will give all participants cross-access to French and Japanese national grant opportunities, providing a solid framework for short- and long-term staff and student exchanges, contributing to the education of students and young researchers, and facilitating access to unique research facilities in both countries.”
CNRS is France’s largest national research institution and one of the world’s foremost public research organizations. It operates over 1,100 laboratories across France and internationally, covering every major scientific discipline. Among its international collaboration mechanisms, CNRS establishes International Research Laboratories—its highest-tier form of overseas research partnership—at institutions around the world. With the addition of GlycoMIRAI, CNRS now maintains 15 IRLs in Japan, the highest concentration in any country. GlycoMIRAI is the first IRL worldwide dedicated to glycoscience and the first in Japan to span the full breadth of biology including human subjects.
iGCORE is a world-class research institute jointly established by Nagoya University and Gifu University under the Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS). Founded in 2021, iGCORE brings together leading glycoscientists from both universities and serves as the organizational home for the Human Glycome Atlas Project (HGA) and J-GlycoNet. GlycoMIRAI builds on and significantly expands an already active collaboration between iGCORE and CNRS-affiliated researchers in France, formalizing an international network that has facilitated joint research, symposia, and researcher exchanges for several years.
On April 14, 2026, a commemorative ceremony for the creation of IRL GlycoMIRAI will be held at Nagoya University for the Japanese press and the wider university community.
