Newton-Abraham Lecture 2022 - Chemistry and Biology of Sugar

Carbohydrates are the dominant biopolymer on our planet and serve a range of functions from foods to structural materials such as wood. Long chains of carbohydrate monomer surround virtually all cells and are important signaling molecules ranging from fertilization to bacterial infections, cancer and autoimmune diseases. In this lecture I will describe how automated synthesis of complex carbohydrates provides access to defined molecules that in turn helped us to elucidate the structure and the role of complex sugars in biology. I will highlight the use of synthetic glycans as the basis for the development of vaccines against hospital-acquired infections, for cholesterol-lowering drugs and in understanding aspects of multiple sclerosis.