Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Understanding and Controlling Glycosylation Reactions

Objective

This proposal aims to understand and control glycosylation reactions. In a glycosylation reaction a “donor” glycoside and an “acceptor” (the nucleophile) are united to form an oligosaccharide. Although it is the central reaction in carbohydrate chemistry, our understanding of this reaction, in terms of stereoselectivity and productivity is still limited. The structural variation in the building blocks leads to a complex continuum of SN2-SN1 mechanisms that operates and it is currently impossible to predict where in the continuum the reaction exactly takes place. This proposal provides fundamental insight into the outcome of glycosylations by studying both the activated donor glycoside and the acceptor nucleophile. Activation of a donor glycoside leads to different reactive intermediates, covalent anomeric species (most often triflates) and oxocarbenium ion-like species. The relative reactivity of these species is quantified to generate novel reactivity charts. The covalent species are studied by innovative competition experiments, kinetic studies and NMR spectroscopy. The (fleeting) oxocarbenium ion-like intermediates are probed by a computational approach and by “super-acid NMR” studies in which stable glycosyl cations are generated and studied in super-acid media. The reactivity of glycosyl acceptors is systematically studied in a set of SN2 or SN1-type glycosylations. Using kinetic studies and competition reactions charts of acceptor nucleophilicity are compiled. The reactivity of the donors and acceptors is matched using a family of tailor made “reactivity modulators”, spanning a broad reactivity window bridging the reactivity gap between the building blocks leading to predictable glycosylations. The developed methodology is employed in automated solid phase syntheses of libraries of oligosaccharides featuring multiple cis-glycosidic linkages. The proposal is a major step forward in the development of a general glycosylation procedure.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2016-COG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

UNIVERSITEIT LEIDEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 000 000,00
Address
RAPENBURG 70
2311 EZ Leiden
Netherlands

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 000 000,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0