4 March 2021 - 4 March 2021
1:00PM - 2:00PM
Online
Free
The Biosciences department runs two seminar series: Departmental seminars that cover a wide range of biological topics, and EEE seminars that cover topics related to Ecology, Evolution and Environment.
Host: Ehmke Pohl
Contact ehmke.pohl@durham.ac.uk for more information about this event.
Carbohydrates are ubiquitous in nature and involved in processes as diverse as communication between cells and making wood strong. Unlike DNA and proteins, the sequence and structure of carbohydrates is not templated, but controlled solely by the activity and location of the enzymes that manipulate them. We are interested in gaining a structural, mechanistic, and functional understanding of enzymes that synthesize, degrade or modify carbohydrates, from either a biomedical or biotechnological point of view. The examples presented will focus on human enzymes where the biological role, and potential involvement in disease, are not fully understood. We employ a combination of structural biology, cell biology, and biochemistry, as well as collaborate with synthetic chemists to design/make potent and selective inhibitors, as tools to help increase our understanding of these enzymes.
