Synthetic oligosaccharides: Recent advances

Oligosaccharides play essential roles in many biological processes and it has been recognized that these type of compounds may provide important leads for drug development. Recent advances in chemical and enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides make it possible to more reliably prepare a wide range of oligosaccharides that can be used for SAR studies. Synthetic procedures allow the preparation of designed glycomimetics with improved pharmacokinetics and better binding affinities.