You are visiting the Carbohydrate Section, which is part of the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, Kenneth Jacobson, PhD, Chief, at NIDDK, which is one of Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. in Bethesda, MD. We are a small, but a strong group, whose members have made many outstanding contributions to carbohydrate chemistry and immunology over some 80 years. Those who formed the Section in the first half of the 20th century contributed to the good name and fame of the NIH long before the genetic code was cracked here. When judged by the span of time of continuous research activity in the carbohydrate field, this is probably the oldest group in the whole world! We feel it a privilege to be part of a group with such a rich tradition in the subject we love. The carbohydrate group was originally established in the early years of the 20th century by the unforgettable Claude Hudson (you can learn more about him and Hewitt Fletcher, two remarkable carbohydrate chemists who directed this group in the past, by reading their obituaries in Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry. -- Acknowledgements go out to the Lowary group at the University of Alberta for hosting this comprehensive collection of the Series ADVANCES IN CARBOHYDRATE CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY.)

In 1929, Claude S. Hudson, who had studied with Nernst and van't Hoff, became Head of the Division of Chemistry in the then Hygienic Laboratory, later to evolve into the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Basic biochemistry oriented chemistry of carbohydrates was Hudson's major interest. His work on the relationship between optical rotation and glycoside configuration is well known. In addition, Hudson and his coworkers contributed enormously to the chemistry of saccharides and carbohydrate-specific enzymes. The list of members of that laboratory reads like a who-is-who in early carbohydrate chemistry, and includes Montgomery, Pacsu, Purves, Hann, Richtmyer, Fletcher and many more. In 1951, when Hudson retired, H. G. Fletcher became Chief of the group, now called the Section on Carbohydrates. He continued the outstanding studies on reaction mechanisms, the syntheses of important compounds, such as nucleosides, as well as the fundamental chemistry of ribose and deoxy-ribose. Fletcher and R. K. Ness, his right hand man, as well as Nelson K. Richtmyer, trained a large number of young scientists under the auspices of the Training Program at the NIH. When Fletcher died in 1973 at the young age of 56, one of his associates, Cornelis (Neil) P. J. Glaudemans, became Chief of the Section. Neil was trained as a carbohydrate chemist by Tore E. Timell during his doctoral studies in Canada, and later had spent post-doctoral time with America's foremost immunochemist Michael Heidelberger. When he joined Fletcher’s Section he began work on the interactions of bacterial carbohydrate antigens with immunoglobulins on the molecular level. The Section's interest in this area became firmly established and led to characterization of monoclonal anti-carbohydrate antibodies and the development of work on vaccines. After Neil retired in 1998, his associate since the early '80s, Pavol (Paul) Kovac, trained at Purdue University in R. L. Whistler’s lab, took over the group. While the group was downsized to a total of four members, it’s interests became more oriented towards practical utilization of synthetic carbohydrates as tools in the life sciences. The Section is currently engaged mainly in development of conjugate vaccines for bacterial diseases from synthetic carbohydrate antigens. This involves work on new protocols in syntheses and functionalization of carbohydrates, studies of fundamentals affecting conjugation, and synthesis of constructs that can be used as experimental vaccines. In addition, the Section is looking into developing oligosaccharide-based inhibitors of the biosynthesis of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in order to achieve more effective therapy, than the existing enzyme-replacement therapy, for patients with Fabry disease. The space allocated to the group is tight but, as many times in the past, we are willing to squeeze in a competent scientist with the ability to bring along his/her own funds and would like to spend some time working with us as a Special Volunteer. We trust that our Institute would recognize the respect the Section has earned among scientists in the carbohydrate field, as well as the excellent reviews the group has been receiving from the Board of Scientific Councilors over a number of years, and hope for brighter times to come as far as funding is concerned. It would be a loss to all involved, including NIH and the scientific community worldwide, if the oldest carbohydrate group in the world were to cease to exist with the present Chief's retirement. Paul is not looking forward to that day because, as he often mentions, while he is in the retirement age, he is not in the retirement mood. The work of the group is augmented by many collaborations within and outside the NIH, in the United States of America and around the world.