The Fascione Lab studies glycans at the interface between chemistry and biology- a field commonly termed ‘chemical glycobiology’. Our focus is on deciphering the roles that these biomolecules play in the etiology of disease, with the overall aim of developing chemical tools to study and perturb their activity in vivo.
Chemical glycobiology tools for sialic and
ulosonic acid sugars
Developing novel chemical glycobiology tools for bacterial nonulosonic acid sugars such as Pseudaminic acid (Pse), the "evil twin" of human sialic acid (Neu5Ac). Including enzyme substrates, cellular probes and therapeutic inhibitors to dissect and perturb biosynthesis in bacteria.
Synthetic and mechanistic carbohydrate
chemistry
Chemical synthesis of ulosonic and sialic acids and other complex glycans; methods and mechanistic exploration of stereoselective glycosylation; automated glycan assembly.
Chemical enzymology for synthesis and exploration using carbohydrate active enzymes
Chemoenzymatic approaches for the synthesis of nonulosonic acid glycans; carbohydrate active enzyme discovery and characterisation; new modes of enzyme activity using unnatural substrates and sugars.
Protein bioconjugation for the development of (glyco)theranostics
Novel methods for the bio/glycoconjugation of proteins which can be applied in 'chemical glycomedicine' approaches for the prevention and treatment of disease.