Chemical-Enzymatic Technique Used To Make Carbohydrates, Glycopeptides: ■ Its creators believe the process could potentially provide the basis for an automated synthesizersome—observers disagree

Researchers at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and Cytel Corp. in San Diego have developed a technique for solid-phase synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycopeptides—a combined chemical-enzymatic procedure that could potentially provide the basis for an automated oligosaccharide and glycopeptide synthesizer. However, some carbohydrate researchers express doubts about near-term prospects for automating the technique. Carbohydrates and glycopeptides are receiving increased attention today, both as subjects of basic research and as potential drugs, because of the key roles they play in cell signaling, molecular recognition, and many other biological processes. Automated peptide and oligonucleotide synthesizers have been widely available for years, but automated oligosaccharide and glycopeptide synthesis has been elusive, largely owing to the extraordinary complexity of carbohydrate chemistry. An automated oligosaccharide sequencer was recently introduced commercially (C&EN, Oct. 18, 1993, pa...