SGER: Exploratory NMR for Oligosaccharide Structure

在这个由实验物理化学计划资助的SGER奖项中，加州大学欧文分校的Athan J. Shaka教授及其研究生和本科生同事将进行探索性研究，开发同位素标记反应和多维NMR方法，以确定复杂寡糖的一级结构。 本研究的最终目的是发展快速、灵敏、稳定的方法来确定这些重要的生物活性化合物的一级结构。核磁共振（NMR）已成为确定有机分子结构的主要工具。 尽管取得了这一成功，但仍有一些类别的分子由于其化学形式而不适合NMR结构测定。 因此，需要新的方法。 Shaka教授和他的学生将开发这些方法，使研究人员能够确定复杂多糖的性质和连接性-不同糖以复杂方式连接在一起的分子。 这些分子具有生物活性，并且在许多生物学背景中是重要的。 除了这项工作的更广泛的科学影响外，Shaka教授和他的学生开发的方法可能适用于其他复杂有机分子的结构测定。 此外，Shaka教授的学生将接受尖端NMR方法的高级培训。

In this SGER award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, Prof. Athan J. Shaka of University of California, Irvine and his graduate and undergraduate student colleagues will conduct exploratory research to develop isotagging reactions and multidimensional NMR methods in order to determine the primary structure of complex oligosaccharides. The ultimate aim of this research is to develop fast, sensitive, and robust methods for the determination of the primary structure in these important class of biologically active compounds.Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become the primary tool for determining the structures of organic molecules. Despite this success, there are some classes of molecules that because of their chemical form do not lend themselves to NMR structure determination. Thus, new methods are called for. Prof. Shaka and his students will develop these methods to allow researchers to determine the nature and connectivity of complex polysaccharides -- molecules in which different sugars are connected together in complex ways. These molecules are biologically active, and are important in a number of biological contexts. In addition to the broader scientific impact of this work, the methods developed by Prof. Shaka and his students may be amenable for use in structure determination in other complex organic molecules. In addition, Prof. Shaka's students will receive advanced training in cutting edge NMR methods.