N-Heterocyclic carbene catalysed redox isomerisation of esters to functionalised benzaldehydes

N-Heterocyclic carbene catalysed redox isomerisation with reduction about the carbonyl has been developed in the transformation of trienyl esters to tetrasubstituted benzaldehydes. The reaction proceeds in good to excellent yield, and in cases that provide 2,2′-biaryls, enantioselectivity is observed. Mechanistic studies demonstrate the intermediacy of a cyclohexenyl β-lactone, while implicating formation of the homoenolate as turnover limiting.     

Can glycoprofiling be helpful in detecting prostate cancer?

Glycans are chains of carbohydrates attached to proteins (glycoproteins and proteoglycans) or lipids (glycolipids). Glycosylation is a post-translational modification and glycans have a wide range of functions in the human body including involvement in oncological diseases. Change in a glycan structure can not only indicate the presence of a pathological process but, more importantly, in some cases also its stage. Thus, a glycan analysis has the potential to be an effective and reliable tool in cancer diagnostics. Lectins are proteins responsible for natural biorecognition of glycans; even carbohydrate moieties still attached to proteins or whole cells can be recognised by lectins, which makes them an ideal candidate for designing label-free biosensors for glycan analysis. This review seeks to summarise evidence that the glycoprofiling of biomarkers by lectin-based biosensors can be of significant help in detecting prostate cancer.