Research
Heparin, a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG), is used extensively as an anticoagulant. It consists of repeating disaccharide units, containing iduronic acid (or glucuronic acid) and glucosamine, exhibiting variable degrees of sulfation. Heparin, and its analogues, are used during surgery and dialysis, and are often used to coat indwelling catheters and other devices where the vascular system is exposed.
Glycans serve a critical role in cell-cell communication and function through their interaction with other biomolecules, such as proteins.
Proteoglycans (PGs) and their glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains play a prominent role in a biological system. PGs are among the most structurally complex of the glycoconjugates and are involved in signaling and cell-cell interaction.
Glycomics is a field that is a logical offshoot of the fields of genomics and proteomics and is considered as a sub-discipline of metabolomics.
Nano-biotechnology is a new field, lying at the convergence of biotechnology and nanotechnology, which integrates biomaterials and synthetic materials to prepare novel nano-scale and micron-scale materials, devices and processes.
Uridine diphosphate (UDP) monosaccharides are common donors being transferred to glycosyl acceptors by a glycosyltransferase or synthase in the biosynthetic pathway. Unnatural UDP-sugars, which are otherwise not synthesized in vivo, harness great potential as enzymatic substrates for carbohydrate synthesis, as enzyme inhibitors, as tools for assay development and for the study of glycoconjugate biosynthesis.
