First auto carbohydrate synthesiser

German researchers have unveiled the first fully automated carbohydrate synthesiser, which they hope will advance development of carbohydrate-based vaccines for the developing world.

The new machine was announced at this week's meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt lake City, Utah, and could significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for researchers to build complex carbohydrates for vaccine research. Currently, synthesis of multiple carbohydrates for screening causes a bottle neck in efforts to discover new carbohydrate-based vaccines. 

More: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/March/23030901.asp