Enhancing the NMR Characterization of Amino Sugars

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In this award, funded by the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Cynthia Larive of the University of California - Riverside and her graduate student researchers will be supported to develop instrumentation for coupling online microcoil nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection with electrophoretic separation. The group will investigate the structure of the biologically important glycosaminoglycan (GAG) carbohydrate with two-dimensional NMR methods.Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is an important physical chemical method that gives precise chemical and structural information. The methods that Prof. Larive and her student researchers will develop will enable scientists to determine the solution-phase structures of some important carbohydrates. The work has the potential to provide important information on the biosynthesis of these carbohydrates, as well as guiding scientists in the design of new drugs and measurements of purity of related GAG-based pharmaceuticals (e.g. heparin). The graduate students working on this project will gain useful experience in developing cutting-edge analytical NMR experiments. As part of this work, Prof. Larive will continue her strong efforts at encouraging students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in the sciences.