New methods and technologies for the synthesis of glycofarmaceuticals

New methods and technologies for the synthesis of glycofarmaceuticals

Professor Alexei V. Demchenko (Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, USA)

Complex carbohydrates are involved in many processes and are referred to as the “essential molecules of life.” Our life begins with fertilization, which takes place via carbohydrate-protein recognition. Our journey with sugars continues with human milk that becomes the ideal first food. Glycans present in human milk called HMO can provide prebiotic effects, function as antimicrobial agents, and supply nutrients for the development of cognition. Throughout our lifetime, sugars are involved in many upkeeping processes and defensive mechanisms. The explosive growth of glycobiology has increased our understanding of the roles of sugars also as the “molecules of death” due to their involvement in pathogenesis of every major disease including cancer, AIDS, pneumonia, septicemia, diabetes, malaria. The discovery of glycans is accelerating aided by advances in separation, analysis, and array technologies. Still, the availability of glycans remains low. The discovery of new methods and accessible technologies that offer new capabilities for obtaining pharmaceutically relevant glycans is at the heart of this presentation.