Our research focuses on increasing efficiency in bioactive, complex molecule synthesis by combining state-of-the-art organic synthetic methods with biocatalysis.

A specific area of interest in the group is the chemo-enzymatic synthesis of bioactive glycosylated natural products. In particular the bacterial glycome is very diverse, which is also reflected in the secondary metabolites they produce. Beyond impacting physicochemical properties, the sugars are often directly involved in the molecules’ modes of action. While chemical glycosylation remains a challenging endeavor and traditionally requires optimization of reaction conditions for every donor/acceptor couple, enzyme-catalyzed glycosylation proceeds with high regio- and stereoselectivity on unprotected substrates under mild conditions.