# Artificial Glycosidase with Controlled Selectivity

> **NIH NIH R01** · IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $298,855

## Abstract

Artificial Glycosidase with Controlled Selectivity
Abstract
 Carbohydrates are the most abundant biomolecules on the earth, and involved in
numerous biological processes and all major human diseases. Glycoscience, nonetheless,
lags behind genomics and proteomics, due to the extreme complexity, dynamic structural
diversity, and micro-heterogeneity of glycans found in biological systems. Another reason,
according to the 2012 NRC report “Transforming Glycoscience”, was the lack of suitable
tools and methods “to detect, describe, and fully purify glycans…and then to characterize
their chemical composition and structure.
 Molecular recognition of carbohydrates and peptides has been long-standing
challenges in bioorganic and supramolecular chemistry, due to the importance of these
molecules in biology. The PI’s group has developed protein-sized molecularly imprinted
nanoparticles (MINPs) to bind a wide range of biologically interesting guests including
carbohydrates and peptides. They are prepared and purified in < 2 days without any special
techniques, once the template, functional monomers, and cross-linkable surfactants are
available. MINP-based “synthetic lectins” were shown to recognize a wide range of mono-
and oligosaccharides in water with tens of micromolar binding affinities. Oligosaccharides
were distinguished based on their building blocks, glycosidic linkages, and chain length.
 The overall objective of this proposal is to develop synthetic glycosidases with
selectivities unavailable in their natural counterparts. The proposed catalysts contain
substrate-specific active sites with precisely installed catalytic groups for optimal catalysis.
In the traditional synthesis of receptors and supramolecular catalysts, tremendous synthetic
efforts are needed just to have a binding pocket. Fine tuning of the pocket for specific and
complex biomolecules is nearly impossible. The micellar imprinting technology used in the
MINP preparation, on the other hand, can quickly construct multifunctionalized, complex-
shaped active sites from simple building blocks. The principles to be demonstrated are not
limited to glycan hydrolysis and are expected to open up many possibilities in the design
and synthesis of enzyme-mimicking catalysts.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10248516
- **Project number:** 5R01GM138427-02
- **Recipient organization:** IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Yan Zhao
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $298,855
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10248516

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10248516, Artificial Glycosidase with Controlled Selectivity (5R01GM138427-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10248516. Licensed CC0.

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