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Scientists develop method to deliver sugars directly into cells

Phys · · 446 words · By Enna Bartlett
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What to know about Scientists develop method to deliver sugars directly into cells

Researchers at the University of Manchester have developed a boron-based nanostructure to deliver hydrophilic sugars directly into mammalian cells. This method eliminates the need for cytotoxic organic solvents typically required to transport these molecules across cell membranes.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Scientists develop method to deliver sugars directly into cells Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor Sugars, or glycans, play a crucial role in biology—from cell signaling and recognition to interactions with pathogens.

Why it matters

Changes in glycosylation are also associated with diseases including cancer.

Common ground

But studying glycans poses a major challenge: because many glycans are highly water-soluble, or hydrophilic, they cannot easily cross the cell membrane and must be modified with a hydrophobic moiety—a water-repelling chemical group—and prepared and delivered…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Researchers at the University of Manchester have developed a boron-based nanostructure to deliver hydrophilic sugars directly into mammalian cells. This method eliminates the need for cytotoxic organic solvents typically required to transport these molecules across cell membranes.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-method-sugars-cells.html

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Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “Qiao Tang et al, Intracellular Delivery of Hydrophilic Glycans Using Superchaotropic Clusters, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2026). DOI: 10.1002/anie.7747854”
CORROBORATED
The specific title 'Intracellular Delivery of Hydrophilic Glycans Using Superchaotropic Clusters' is found in the evidence (LinkedIn profile of a researcher), and the context of the research matches the other claims. Note: The date 2026 in the claim may be a future publication date or typo in the source, but the content is corroborated.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Metabolism (, from Greek μεταβολή (metabolē) 'change') refers to the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that occur within living organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are the conve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolism
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) coatings are a surface treatment provided to biomaterials intended to reduce the growth of disadvantageous bacteria and fungi such as S. epidermidis, E. coli, and Candi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovine_submaxillary_mucin_coat…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colloidal gold is a sol or colloidal suspension of nanoparticles of gold in a fluid, usually water. The colloid is coloured usually either wine red (for spherical particles less than 100 nm) or blue-p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloidal_gold
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “The researchers also used the technique to investigate recently discovered glycoRNA—RNA molecules associated with glycans”
CORROBORATED
The evidence confirms that the researchers used the technique to investigate glycoRNA (RNA molecules linked to glycans), and other sources confirm the recent discovery of glycoRNAs.
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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers have speculated that the RNA-glycan linkage is likely not due to the direct glycosylation of RNA bases. The sensitivity of glycoRNA moieties to PNGase F, which cleaves the glycosidic linka…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlycoRNA
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web search NEUTRAL — The researchers also used the technique to investigate glycoRNA—RNA molecules linked to glycans that were only recently discovered.
https://www.labcompare.com/617-News/627586-New-Method-Delive…
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web search NEUTRAL — GlycoRNA: Bridging two fields. The textbook-changing discovery of glycoRNAs was fortuitous. Flynn, who was trained in RNA biology, joined Bertozzi’s lab, which focuses on glycoscience, to better under…
https://answers.childrenshospital.org/glycorna/
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Claim 3: “Professor Matthew Gibson and his team have demonstrated a new approach using a small superchaotropic nanostructure made of boron to transport these molecules directly into mammalian cells”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results explicitly state that Professor Matthew Gibson and his team demonstrated a new approach using a small superchaotropic nanostructure made of boron to transport molecules into mammalian cells.
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web search NEUTRAL — Professor Matthew Gibson and his team have now demonstrated a new approach using a small super chaotropic nanostructure made of boron to transport these molecules directly into mammalian cells...
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/new-method-to-delive…
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web search NEUTRAL — Professor Matthew Gibson and his team have demonstrated a new approach using a small superchaotropic nanostructure made of boron to transport these molecules directly into mammalian cells...
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-method-sugars-cells…
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web search NEUTRAL — Boron shuttles preserve the cell’s natural environment, allowing biochemists to map the cellular landscape with unprecedented clarity. In clinical medicine, this tool transforms drug delivery.
https://scibow.com/news/health/breaking-the-bio-barrier-how-…
verified
Claim 4: “crucially removing the need for cytotoxic organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).”
VERIFIED
The evidence includes a direct quote from Professor Gibson stating that the method 'eliminates the need for organic solvents,' supporting the claim that it removes the need for cytotoxic solvents like DMSO.
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web search NEUTRAL — This work shows a fairly straightforward method to deliver sugars directly into the cells, and of real importance for us, it eliminates the need for organic solvents," said Gibson, chair in sustainabl…
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-scientists-method-sugars-cells…
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web search NEUTRAL — That method runs into the same membrane-crossing problem. To get around it, Gibson's team developed a new boron-based delivery approach to introduce the unnatural sugars into the cell where they were …
https://www.labcompare.com/617-News/627586-New-Method-Delive…
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web search NEUTRAL — If boron accumulates in organs like the liver or kidneys, it could trigger long-term toxicity. Additionally, manufacturing these precise, superchaotropic boron cages at an industrial, pharmaceutical s…
https://scibow.com/news/health/breaking-the-bio-barrier-how-…
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Claim 5: “The paper is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.”
CORROBORATED
While the specific paper isn't explicitly linked in the provided snippets, multiple sources confirm the existence of the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition and reference research by Gibson's team being published there.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Angewandte Chemie (German pronunciation: [ˈaŋɡəˌvantə çeˈmiː], meaning "Applied Chemistry") is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that is published by Wiley-VCH on behalf of the German Chemical…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angewandte_Chemie
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In coordination chemistry, a coordinate covalent bond, also known as a dative bond, dipolar bond, or coordinate bond is a kind of two-center, two-electron covalent bond in which the two electrons deri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinate_covalent_bond
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Susumu Kitagawa (北川 進, Kitagawa Susumu; born 4 July 1951) is a Japanese Nobel Prize-winning chemist specializing in coordination chemistry, with a focus on organic–inorganic hybrid compounds and the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susumu_Kitagawa
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “One widely used technique for studying glycans is metabolic oligosaccharide engineering, in which modified sugars carrying a chemical 'handle' are introduced into cells.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources describe metabolic oligosaccharide engineering (MOE) as a technique where modified sugars with chemical handles are introduced into cells.
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web search NEUTRAL — Delivering the sugars to programme cell surfaces. One widely used technique for studying glycans is metabolic oligosaccharide engineering, where modified sugars carrying a chemical ‘handle’ are introd…
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/new-method-to-delive…
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web search NEUTRAL — Metabolic oligosaccharide engineering (MOE) takes advantage of metabolic chemical reporters (MCRs) bearing bioorthogonal handles, like Ac4GlcNAz, that can be fed to cells where they are metabolized to…
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12364120/
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web search NEUTRAL — Metabolic oligosaccharide engineering, simultaneously with the breakthrough in bioorthogonal chemistry, has allowed tremendous progress in glycobiology, notably in terms of visualization, quantificati…
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2018/sc/c8sc0224…
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Claim 7: “Changes in glycosylation are also associated with diseases including cancer.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent scientific sources (Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Frontiers, and other research papers) confirm that changes in glycosylation are associated with cancer and metastasis.
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web search NEUTRAL — Cancer-associated changes in glycosylation include both the under- and overexpression of naturally-occurring glycans as well as neoexpression of glycans normally restricted to embryonic tissues.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd1751?error=cookies_not_su…
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web search NEUTRAL — Colorectal cancer (CRC)-associated changes of protein glycosylation have been widely studied. In contrast, the expression of glycosphingolipid (GSL) patterns in CRC have, hitherto, remained largely un…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221964006_Glycosyla…
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web search NEUTRAL — Finally, glycan changes associated with cancer progression profoundly define the phenotype of cancer cells depending on interactions with endogenous lectins both in tumor and metastatic environments. …
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.33…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.