René Roy uses carbohydrate chemistry to develop neoglycoconjugates and polymers to treat disease related to glycoproteins such as bacterial infections and cancers. His synthesis of new glycan structures, among which glycopolymers, glycodendrimers, and glycodendrimersomes (terms that he first developed) enabled progress in the area of multivalent molecular recognition mechanisms. 
He is known for his work on semi-synthetic glycoconjugate vaccines. He has designed a breast cancer vaccine prototype.
René Roy has authored more than 370 scientific articles and 2 books on vaccines and glycomimetics. He has 5 patents to his credit, of which two ended in commercial products