The history of glycobiology research in the pathogenic Neisseria has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of meningococcal and gonococcal disease, and had major impact across multiple fields. Beginning with the characterisation of meningococcal capsular polysaccharides and lipooligosaccharides (LOS), glycobiology provided some of the earliest molecular explanations for host specificity, immune evasion, and invasive disease. Subsequent discoveries revealed that Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae exploit an extraordinary repertoire of glycan-based mechanisms, including capsule expression, LOS phase variation, molecular mimicry, host glycan recognition, and O-linked protein glycosylation. These studies established glycans as central regulators of colonisation, transmission, serum resistance, and pathogenesis rather than merely structural cell-surface components.
Glycobiology has been the basis of major advances in vaccine development. Polysaccharide and glycoconjugate vaccines against meningococcal disease remain landmark successes of modern vaccinology, while novel carbohydrate antigens have revitalised efforts to develop vaccines against gonorrhoea.
This keynote will review the evolution of the field highlighting key discoveries and future challenges.