Technology Platform 'Synthesis and Characterization of functional Oligo/Polysaccharides'

Functional carbohydrates are found in nature in numerous variations. They fulfill a multitude of functions, which are only fragmentarily clarified at present. Until now the utilisation of carbohydrates in artificial systems is limited by their availability.
To circumvent this problem Dr. Anika Röhrich, leader of the first Technology Platform of B CUBE establishes an automated system for solid phase synthesis of oligosaccharides [1, 2]. Starting from the organic synthesis of carbohydrate building blocks monomers are coupled to functional oligosaccharides by solid phase synthesis. Characterization is mainly made by NMR, mass spectrometry, UPLC and capillary electrophoresis.                
As a first milestone, the tech platform aims to provide synthetic heparin oligosaccharides by solid phase synthesis [3]. Synthetic oligosaccharides will have the following benefits over natural sources of heparin:  they are fully characterized, they have defined functionalities like degree of sulfation and variations in product composition can be avoided which are frequently occurring in heparin from natural sources.
The team of Dr. Uwe Freudenberg at the Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials Dresden is working with ECM mimicking hydrogels containing natural heparin for studying the binding and release of growth factors and has already expressed his interest in the method under development.

[1] Seeberger, P. H., Chem. Soc. Rev. 37 (2008) 19-28.

[2] Seeberger, P. H., Carbohydr. Res. 343 (2008) 1889-1896.

[3] Noti, C., de Paz, J. L., Polito, L., Seeberger, P. H., Chem. Eur. J. 12 (2006) 8664-8686.