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NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering Research Project Write-up Title of Project : Glycosaminoglycans in cancer biology Name of Supervisor : Assoc Professor Lam Yulin Contact Details: [email protected] Short Description Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharide units alternating between uronic acid and amino sugars. The main classes include chondroitin sulfate, heparin sulfate, keratan sulfate and hyaluronan; these sequences are subjected to various post translation modifications such as sulfation and epimerization giving rise to structural motifs encoding information important for the regulation of many biological process such as morphogenesis, cancer metastasis and spinal cord injury. A pertinent issue to address is whether these glycosaminoglycans employ a specific “sulfation code” to modulate these physiological processes. In this light, chemical synthesis provides a platform for the preparation of specifically-sulfated GAG fragments with well-defined structures, enabling us to identify the structure activity relationship between different sulfation patterns and how they affect various biological processes. This project aims to generate sulfated GAGs for evaluation of their activities in controlling cell proliferation and role in cancer development.