Carbohydrate chemistry

The carbohydrate chemistry team is based at the Ferrier Research Institute in Gracefield, Lower Hutt.

Led by Dr Farah Lamiable-Oulaidi, this team includes chemists dedicated to creating innovative drug candidates targeting urgent medical challenges. Their research focuses on designing and developing of small molecules that serve as enzyme inhibitors. By advancing these therapeutic options, the team addresses unmet medical needs where current treatments are limited or non-existent.

The team focuses on small molecules, particularly ones that mimic carbohydrates or act as pharmacological chaperones to correct protein misfolding. This specialised expertise sets the team apart in the field of chemistry and drug development.

Utilising advanced technologies like enzyme transition-state analysis, they gain detailed insights into enzyme mechanisms, a crucial step in the drug design process. Their approach is strengthened by their long-standing collaboration with Professor Vern Schramm at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the United States, a leader in this technology.

The team actively engages with community stakeholders, including Rare Disorders New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. This fosters collaboration and highlights the critical role of chemistry in addressing global health challenges.

Current projects

• Rare disorders—Dr Lamiable-Oulaidi leads efforts to develop a lifesaving drug for rapid-progressing neurodegenerative disorders, which are terminal for children within their first few years of life.
• Infectious diseases—Collaborating with other experts, the team explores new ways to combat infectious diseases.
• Cancers—Developing small molecules to induce synthetic lethality for drug-resistant cancers.

The carbohydrate chemistry team is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and translating it into real-world health outcomes. They enhance local capabilities by expanding their resources to manage all stages of development in-house.

Research impact

The Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment has awarded $2 million in funding to Dr Lamiable-Oulaidi's team to research a cure for Krabbe disease. This rare neurological condition typically appears in the first months of life and results in death during infancy.

The team build on the Institute’s past successes, including the work of Professor Peter Tyler, who developed a specific small molecule from bench to market, now used in the drug Mundesine®

The carbohydrate chemistry team is part of KiwiNet’s Emerging Innovator programme.

For more information about Ferrier’s work in this field, please contact ferrier@vuw.ac.nz.

Publications