Our research is focused on synthesis of biologically important carbohydrates. Cell surface oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates are involved in numerous vital life processes such as viral and bacterial infections, cell growth and proliferation, cell-cell communication, and immuno-response and are thus implicated in various disease states. We are mainly interested in the antigenic oligosaccharides and glycolipids, specifically expressed in infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria and stomach infections as well as cancer. As a first step towards understanding the molecular level details of these interactions and study the carbohydrate recognition in various diseases, we are devising newer ways to chemically synthesize the glycolipids, glycoproteins, oligosaccharides and C-glycoside analogs of carbohydrate antigens involved in these diseases.
