We have developed a new method to produce multivalent saccharide derivatives, which function as effective modulators of protein- carbohydrate interactions in cell-cell recognition. We propose to augment those studies by developing a synthesis of bivalent molecules bearing carbohydrate residues separated by specific distances. Our plan is to take advantage of the features of the ring opening metathesis polymerization to accomplish this goal. Oligomers generated by this method will then be used to explore the distance requirements for recognition by different cell surface receptors. These studies have implications for the modulation of protein-carbohydrate interactions in cell-cell recognition, inflammation, HTV infection, and other biological events.
