Carbohydrate Chronicles

Designing novel sugars and understanding how they work is an extremely challenging task. Accordingly, carbohydrate chemistry and supramolecular carbohydrate chemistry require devotion, persistence and creativity. José Manuel Garcia Fernandez, professor at University of Seville is working on such challenging innovations and discoveries around the uses of novel sugars for innovative applications. José will guide us into the world of cyclodextrin and carbohydrate chemistry, unravel a few mysteries and point out challenges and possibilities of the future from a chemistry point of view.

Cyclodextrins are cyclic molecules made up of multiple glucose units linked together. They come in three forms: alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrin. They are formed by the action of enzymes called cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases from starch. Cyclodextrins have a hydrophobic interior and hydrophilic exterior, which makes them useful for encapsulating hydrophobic molecules in their cavity and this complexation leads to a bunch of potential uses from solubility improvement through stabilization to taste masking or side-effect mitigation. However, developing drug products with cyclodextrins is not always easy and straightforward. And who could tell us more about these challenges than Thorsteinn Loftsson, professor emeritus of pharmaceutical technology from Iceland University, who is a pioneer in this specific area and has several decades of pragmatic experience.

Glycoscience is the study of carbohydrates (sugars) and their roles in biology. Glycans play critical roles in many biological processes such as cell signaling, cell adhesion, immune response, and protein folding, among others. Glycan analysis and characterization is an increasingly important area for biopharma as understanding glycan profiles helps in the development of new therapeutic agents. It is also important for the creation of biobetters when innovator molecules fall out of patent. Structural analysis of glycans and complex carbohydrates, in particular that of lipopolisaccharides and glycoconjugates is the expertise of our guest today, Anthony Molinaro, Professor of Organic Chemistry at University of Napoli.