Research Projects

Carbohydrates are abundant and useful biopolymers, with their multiple hydroxyl groups increasing water solubility and controlling biological events. However, the pharmaceutical industry is not well exploring carbohydrate moieties for drug production due to a lack of understanding of carbohydrate-protein interactions. Carbohydrate-based drugs like heparin, fondaparinux, miglustat, and miglitol are well-known examples. Carbohydrates are a relatively untapped source of new drugs, but they have been extensively used for asymmetric synthesis of natural products, biologically active compounds, ligands, and active pharmaceutical ingredients due to their chiral, electronically vibrant, and cost-economical nature. Tailored glycomimetic molecules, where carbohydrate skeletons are modulated to increase biological function and modulate crucial parameters, have attracted global attention. However, these molecules can be synthesized in a multistep process, hindering their broad application in terms of cost-economy. This proposal aims to design and develop a sustainable approach for the synthesis of glycomimetic molecules through the activation of unreactive C(sp2/sp3)-H bonds of carbohydrates under either photoredox or metal-free conditions. The applicant proposes using a simple catalyst such as iron to obtain conformationally constrained glycomimetic compounds in a diastereoselective manner, generating new C-N bonds in a cost-economical manner under metal-free conditions.