Preface to 30th International Carbohydrate Symposium ICS-30, Brazil 2022

The biennial International Carbohydrate Symposium (ICS) has been organized by the national representatives of the International Carbohydrate Organization (ICO) since 1960, bringing together thousands of worldwide attendees aiming to learn and discuss all aspects related to carbohydrate research and its growing perspectives for future projects. Due to COVID-19, the ICS2022 was organized in an online format for the first time, but all efforts were made to maintain the high quality and collaborative scientific discussions of previous events. In addition, due to the involvement of Prof. Amélia Pilar Rauter, the President of ICS from July 2018 to July 2022, the opening and closing ceremonies was sponsored by the Portuguese Chemical Society in Lisbon and recorded prior to the Symposium (Figs. 1 –7)

Fig. 1:

The logo of ICS2022.

Fig. 2:

Professor Ivone Carvalho, Universidade de São Paulo-Ribeirão Preto, Chair of ICS2022 local organizing committee and current ICO President.

Fig. 3:

Amélia P. Rauter, President of the IUPAC Division III on organic and biomolecular chemistry and ICO President 2018–2022 and Nikolay E. Nifantiev, Chair of the Division III Subcommittee on organic synthesis and member of the ICS2022 Scientific Committee, at the IUPAC|CHAINS2023 Congress at the Hague, August 2023.

Fig. 4:

ICS2022 Opening Session at the Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 2022.

Fig. 5:

Professor Yasuhiro Kajihara (Osaka University, Japan) receiving the Roy L Whistler International Award in Carbohydrate chemistry from ICO President, Professor Amélia P. Rauter.

Fig. 6:

Dr. Daniel Kracher (Technische Universität Graz, Austria) receiving the ICO Young Researcher Award 2020 from ICO President, Professor Amélia P. Rauter.

Fig. 7:

ICS2022 closing session, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 2022.

At this ceremony, the prestigious Roy L Whistler International Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry for the year 2020 was given in person to Prof. Yasuhiro Kajihara (Japan), and the ICO Young Researcher Award 2020 to Dr. Daniel Kracher (Austria). Meanwhile Dr. Naoko Komura (Japan), also recipient of the ICO Young Researcher Award 2020 and the recipients of these Awards for the year 2022, Prof. Biao Yu (China) and Dr. Javier Ramos-Soriano (Spain), were also honoured but unable to travel to Portugal.

The ICS2022 was scheduled between 10 and 15th July 2022, and had an exciting range of cutting-edge carbohydrate themes to reflect recent advances from global leaders. The quality and enticement of the renovated online event was maintained with the participation of distinguished speakers, selected to cover worldwide contributions and major carbohydrate topics, which included: Synthesis; Glycobiology; Carbohydrate Polymer and Material Sciences; New Development in Glycoscience; Carbohydrates for Medicine and Diagnosis; Carbohydrate Structure and Analysis; and Glycoconjugates and Vaccines. The seven topics were distributed across four sessions/day and comprised thirteen Plenary lectures, two Whistler and three Young Researcher lecture awards, forty Keynote lectures, thirty-two oral communications, twenty-four flash presentations and one hundred and twenty-three poster presentations. The 350 attendees from 32 different countries, including 150 students, relied on an interactive online platform with specific rooms for poster sessions, networking meetings, exposition hall, besides the aforementioned lectures. The announcements of seven poster awards, sponsored by Elsevier-Carbohydrate Research, the call for manuscripts submission in this special Issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry, dedicated to the 30th International Carbohydrate Symposium, and the access to the lectures and poster presentations for two months after the Symposium, were highlighted at the closing ceremony.

The Local Organizing Committee was composed of Ivone Carvalho (Chair), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo; Brazil, Ricardo José Alves, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil; Lilian Sibelle Campos Bernardes, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil and Daniel Fábio Kawano, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Campinas, Brazil.

The Scientific Committee comprised honourable scientists from eighteen countries: Suvarn Kulkarni, India; Carmen Ortiz Mellet, Spain; Carola Gallo-Rodriguez, Argentina; Biao Yu, China; Alexei V. Demchenko, USA; Zbigniew Witczak, USA; Anne Imberty, France; Xi-Chen, USA; Amélia P. Rauter, Portugal; Steve Eichhorn, United Kingdom; Harry Brumer, Canada; Robert Field, United Kingdom; Kiyoko F. Aoki-Kinoshita, Japan; Lúcia Mendonça Previato, Brazil; Shang-Cheng Hung, Taiwan; Spencer Williams, Australia; Valentin Wittmann, Germany; Hermen Overkleeft, Netherlands; Sebastien Vidal, France; Carme Rovira Virgili, Spain; Alba Silipo, Italy; Marie-Rose Van Calsteren, Canada; Bridget Stocker, New Zealand; Nikolay E. Nifantiev, Russia and Roberto Adamo, Italy.

The recent advancements in carbohydrate chemistry, biology and technology have been pointed out in the eight manuscripts submitted to this PAC special issue. Significant contributions in carbohydrate synthesis and structural analysis were achieved in the article entitled “Synthesis and structural analysis of d-fructofuranosylated compounds for the analysis of GH172 difructose dianhydride I synthase/hydrolase” disclosed by Akihiro Ishiwata, which identified an anomer-retaining glycoside hydrolase, named BBDE_2040 isolated from Bifidobacterium dentium, as an homologue of α-D-arafase (D-arabinofuranidase) and synthesised d-fructofuranosylated probes to verify its hydrolase activity. “Carbohydrates and BODIPYs: from saccharide synthesis to carbohydrate-BODIPY hybrids” by Ana M. Gomez underlined different routes for the synthesis of borondipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophores-containing saccharides as stable and fluorescent water-soluble dyes with potential application in molecular imaging. Also related to synthesis is the article entitle “4-(2′-Phenylethynylphenyl)phenyl Glycosides as Glycosylation Donors” by Biao Yu that explored the use of 4-(2′-phenylethylnylphenyl)phenyl glycoside as glycoside donor, in the presence of N-iodosuccinimide and triflic acid, rather than a more complex derivative bearing a 3,5-dimethyl substitution pattern on the aromatic ring. They showed that 3,5-dimethyl groups are not essential to avoid the competitive intramolecular Friedel-Crafts-type reaction (phenanthrene glycoside), which impair the formation of the target glycoside via a spiro [4,5]-cyclohexadienone sugar derivative.

An overview of the role of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells can be found in the review “From metabolism to disease: the biological roles of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT)” by Adriane R. Todeschini. GFAT is a key enzyme in the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway that generates amino sugars involved in physiological and pathological processes (cancer and diabetes) and may be explored as a target for chemotherapy. In another contribution to the glycobiology field, the article “Dynamic assembly and interaction of glycosphingolipids in cholesterol-containing model membranes” by Shinya Hanashima, explored the use of fluorescent imaging and solid-state NMR to understand the dynamic assembly of glycosphingolipids, such as lactosylceramide (LacCer) and ganglioside GM3 in cholesterol-containing phase-separated membranes, and contributed to elucidate the role played by lipid membranes in biological events.

The effect of the molar fractions of carbohydrate moieties linked to polydiacetylene glycovesicles (PDA) on the hydrodynamic diameters was investigated in the article “Gradation control in the hydrodynamic diameters of mixed glycan-aglycan glycovesicles” by Narayanaswamy Jayaraman. It evidences that the hydrodynamic diameters vary during mole fractions (increase or reduction) of the sugar lipids in normal or polymerization conditions of the vesicles.

A technological innovation is accomplished in the article “pH dependence of glyphosate adsorption from aqueous solution using a cationic cellulose microfibers (cCMF) biosorbent” by Andressa S. Gomes, who has prepared cationic cellulose microfibers (cCMF) using the abundant biomaterial related to sugarcane bagasse. These cCMF proved to be an adsorbent for glyphosate removal from contaminated groundwater and springs. The toxicity of glyphosate and its frequent use as herbicide to improve crop production makes this biomaterial very interesting to overcome health problems.

Finally, the article “Lipidated brartemicin adjuvant p-C18Brar is a promising α,α′-trehalose 6,6′-dilipid for use in ovine pneumonia vaccines” reported by Bridget L. Stocker, shows the synthesis of four α,α′-trehalose-6,6′-glycolipids as lipidated brartemicin adjuvants and its application in vaccines for ovine pneumonia. p-C18Brar showed excellent immunological response due to the strong antigen-specific IgG antibody titers and increased cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-17A) production from antigen-stimulated whole blood cultures.

This special issue highlights, indeed, the relevant role of glycosciences for innovation in organic and biomolecular chemistry and biology. It will certainly motivate scientists, particularly early career researchers, to further explore the carbohydrate field of research for the discovery of many of the secrets of life that are the key for the prevention/cure of diseases still affecting humankind worldwide.