Mission

The overall mission of the Translational Glycobiology Institute at Florida International University (TGIF) is to improve human health and cure disease through fundamental and clinical research advances in the glycosciences and to coalesce the fields in glyco-chemistry, glyco-analytics and glycobiology with translational medicine. The programmatic goals and objectives of TGIF strategically align with the educational, research and training missions of HWCOM and FIU at-large as follows:

• The TGIF will be a strategic leader in research designed to better understand the molecular mechanisms of glycan structure/function in human biological processes and rapidly translate this knowledge into improving human health and into preventing and curing disease.
• The TGIF will provide educational and research training opportunities in the glycosciences through hands-on laboratory research internships/rotations, seminars and lecture/coursework offerings within the curriculum of HWCOM, the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences and undergraduate science programs at FIU.
• The TGIF will provide investigators at HWCOM and FIU research community and other Florida university, college and research centers access to its knowledge, technologies and resources critical for translating basic and clinical glycobiological observations into new research models or into clinical practice.
• The TGIF will promote a diverse, inclusive and collaborative environment striving to foster interdisciplinary fundamental and clinical developments involving the glycosciences.
• The TGIF will mentor and advise on the career development of its pre-doctoral/post-doctoral trainees and junior glycoscience investigators.