We aim to make molecules and constructs that can block or detect disease-causing processes with high affinity and specificity. In many cases these involve protein-carbohydrate interactions and also carbohydrate processing enzymes. Multivalency is a major theme, to increase the potency of the often weak carbohydrate binding. Dendrimers and rigid spacers are used to make potent multivalent systems, but also nanoparticles and polymers as well as array surfaces are being explored.
Our expertise includes:
-synthesis of carbohydrate ligands
-synthesis of multivalent scaffold and rigid spacers
-synthesis of multivalent carbohydrates
-evaluation of O-GlcNAcylation and the reverse with peptide arrays
-carbohydrate and glycodendrimer arrays
–in vitro testing of protein-carbohydrate interactions with, ITC, ELISA, SPR.