Using Synthetic Tools Prepared by Automated Oligosaccharide Chemistry
to Interrogate Complex Biological Systems

 

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Live from the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Ebling Symposium Center, Room 1220

USA: 3:30 p.m. EST / 2:30 p.m. CST / 12:30 p.m. PST
Europe: 8:30 p.m. London / 9:30 p.m. Berlin

 

Carbohydrates on the surface of cells are involved in a host of fundamental biological processes. While peptides and oligonucleotides are now readily accessible using automated solid phase synthesis, access to complex carbohydrates has been very difficult and time consuming. Professor Seeberger is a pioneer and leading authority in automated oligosaccharide synthesis. In this presentation, he will describe the development of a fully integrated platform based on automated oligosaccharide synthesis and carbohydrate arrays to address biological problems. Particular emphasis will be placed on the latest version of the automated synthesis platform that is currently being made available to laboratories around the world.

Bioinformatics studies have revealed that a relatively small number of building blocks are required to synthesize a large portion of the occupied glycospace. However, automated oligosaccharide synthesis relies on access to usable quantities of monosaccharide building blocks. In order to shorten the synthetic routes of these building blocks, the Seeberger lab has designed de novo methods using purely chemical as well as enzymatic means.

Another aspect of Seeberger's research is the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, a highly complex class of carbohydrates that includes heparin, which is even more complex as it requires the sulfation at particular positions. For that purpose a new strategy and a new instrument was designed that now yields glycosaminoglycan oligosaccharides in days rather than months. This webinar/ presentation will provide insight into how complex carbohydrate synthesis issues were made easier through automated means and how this is revolutionizing the study of oligosaccharides in biology.