What is a glycan?
Glycans are chains of sugar units, called monosaccharides, linked together on their own or attached to proteins and lipids. Unlike DNA and proteins, they are not copied from a template.
RASM (Repository of Atomistic Saccharide Models) is a curated structural database of surface glycans from pathogenic bacteria, built from real published literature rather than computational prediction. Every entry ships simulation-ready starting files for AMBER, GROMACS, and NAMD, alongside interactive search, structure-building, and comparison tools. The Toolkit extends the database with analyses built for questions specific to bacterial pathogens: vaccine-antigen coverage, taxonomic correlation, and structural convergence across species.
Written walkthrough in preparation.
Step-by-step notes for the AMBER, GROMACS and NAMD starting files are in preparation.
Glycans are chains of sugar units, called monosaccharides, linked together on their own or attached to proteins and lipids. Unlike DNA and proteins, they are not copied from a template.
Bacteria are wrapped in a dense coat of glycans. This coat is the first thing the immune system meets.