My research pertains to the development, mechanistic elucidation, and exploring the substrate scope in the merging of transition-metal catalysis with carbohydrate chemistry for the formation of saccharides that include these 2-aminosugars in the correct arrangement. We then can attach these well-defined 2-aminosugars onto a polymer backbone in a repetitive fashion to mimic heparan sulfate polysaccharides and utilized to strongly inhibit the enzyme, heparanase. This heparanase enzyme is linked to promoting a cascade of cancer events.