Andrés González Santana

My research interests lie primarily in the Glycochemistry and Chemical Biology fields, spanning from chemical synthesis to biological applications. During my Ph.D. I strongly trained in the organic chemistry of radicals and carbohydrates to generate new iminosugars with inhibitory activities. In my postdoctoral stay in Canada, I was first introduced to enzyme engineering with the aim of unlocking non-natural reactivity with biotechnological applications. Later, as a senior postdoc in Madrid, I improved my skills in NMR with a focus on the molecular recognition of carbohydrates by aromatic platforms, with an interest in the detection of highly reactive glycosylation intermediates, carbohydrate/aromatic recognition events and in glycosylation catalysis. My multidisciplinary background has given me a wide understanding of (bio)synthetic pathways, enzymatic activities, supramolecular interactions and inhibitory mechanisms. The results of my work have had implications not only in fundamental aspects of Glycochemistry and Enzymology, but also in the application of this knowledge in areas including biomedicine and biotechnology, which has proven extremely valuable to reach my current scientific position. My present scientific interests encompass the design and synthesis of glycosides and glycomimetics, the study of catalysis and reaction mechanisms, either chemical or performed by Carbohydrate Active Enzymes (CAZymes), and the discovery of new molecules with therapeutic potential related to hot (bio)chemical processes involving carbohydrates, with a particular focus on glycan-mediated pathogen recognition in infectious diseases.