European Network on the Supramolecular Chemistry of Carbohydrates

碳水化合物是自然界中含量最丰富、用途最广的分子，与多种疾病(如糖尿病、感染和癌症转移)和其他常规过程(如受精、免疫监测和炎症反应)有关。对这些过程的理解、监测和干预可用于药物治疗、糖生物学和一般的生物医学研究。这类应用的前提是碳水化合物结合分子(CBM)的可用性，它可以选择性地和超分子(非共价)结合从简单的单糖到复杂的寡糖和糖共轭的过多的碳水化合物分子。可以基于建立信任措施开发的技术包括：分离和分离含有碳水化合物的分子；制造碳水化合物传感和检测设备；实现对(未受保护的)碳水化合物的选择性化学；以及一系列生物功能应用。虽然设计、合成、研究和开发建立信任措施的专门知识大多来自欧洲，但活跃在这一新兴领域的研究小组相互独立地开展工作。有了这个博士网络基金，我们的目标是将这方面的专业知识整合到‘欧洲碳水化合物超分子化学网络’(ENSCC)中。我们的ENSCC拥有世界上大多数这一主题的领先人才和三家在该领域引领技术的公司，在未来几年内将成为引领全球学术领域的欧洲动力机构。这将通过共享专业知识、关键基础设施、分子构件来实现，最重要的是，通过共同培训这一博士网络拨款将资助的10名博士。这一由世界领导者、该领域专家和对CBMS感兴趣的公司组成的独特网络提供的培训将使我们的博士生通过在学术界和/或行业继续他们的职业生涯来进一步发展这一领域。

Carbohydrates are nature's most abundant and versatile molecules and are involved in several diseases (e.g. diabetes, infection, and cancer metastasis) and other regular processes (e.g. fertilization, immune surveillance and inflammatory responses). Understanding, monitoring and intervening in these processes could be exploited in medicinal therapies, glycobiology, and biomedical research in general. Such applications are predicated on the availability of carbohydrate binding molecules (CBMs) that can selectively and supramolecularly (noncovalently) bind a plethora of carbohydrate molecules ranging from simple monosaccharides to complex oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Technologies that can be developed based on CBMs include: the separation and isolation of carbohydrate containing molecules; making carbohydrate sensing and detection devices; enabling selective chemistry on (unprotected) carbohydrates; and a range of bio-functional applications. While the expertise to design, synthesize, study and exploit CBMs is mostly European, the research groups active in this emerging field work independent from each other. With this doctoral network grant, we aim to unite this expertise in the 'European Network for the Supramolecular Chemistry of Carbohydrates' (ENSCC). With most of the world's leading minds on the topic and three companies that are spearheading technologies in the field, our ENSCC will be a European powerhouse that will lead the academic field globally for years to come. This will be achieved by sharing expertise, key-infrastructure, molecular building blocks, and -most importantly- by together training the ten PhDs that this doctoral network grant will fund. This training by a unique network of world-leaders, experts in the field and companies with an interest in CBMs will perfectly position our PhD students to further develop the field by continuing their career in academia and/or industry.