Synthesis of glycomimetic organometallic inhibitors of galectins

Galectins are a class of lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins other than enzymes and antibodies) characterized by affinity to some galactosides and sequence homology. Non-covalent interactions of galectins with oligosaccharides are involved in many fundamental biological events. Inhibition of these interactions by synthetic analogs of saccharides (glycomimetics) is of principal significance in their study as well as in drug development. The main goal of this PhD project is the synthesis and evaluation of hybrid glycomimetic galectin inhibitors based on the combination of carbohydrate and organometallic structural motifs. Installation of an organometallic moiety into the structure of a glycomimetic inhibitor can not only result in higher affinity or selectivity of inhibition, but also enable to study the interactions with galectins by means of electrochemical methods.

Required education and skills

• Master degree in chemistry.
• The willingness to acquire and apply advanced methods of organic synthesis.

Reference:  Johannes, L.; Jacob, R.; Leffler, H. J. Cell Sci. 2018, 131 (9): jcs208884.