Christian Marcus Pedersen

Primary fields of research

Carbohydrate chemistry with focus on synthesis of complex oligosaccharides from Gram-positive bacteria. The compounds of interest are a group of membrane oligosaccharides called lipoteichoic acids, which have shown to activate the immune system in various ways. Complex compounds are synthesized in order to investigate their biological function and mechanism, with focus on the interactions with the immune system.

In order to synthesize the highly complex compounds we are developing new methodologies in organic synthesis for the protective chemistry and the glycosylation of rare sugars.

Current research

Currently we are studying the reactivity and selectivity of glycosyl donors. The understanding of the mechanism is very important in order to improve glycosylation reactions in terms of yield and selectivity. By studying different systems we obtain information about the conformation and reactivity.

The developed methods are used in synthesis of oligosaccharides of biological importance.

Knowledge of languages

Teaching

Fields of interest