Glycobiology, enzymology, protein structure-function relationships, carbohydrate biosynthesis, chemoenzymatic synthesis, carbohydrate-based materials, vaccine development, bioremediation. The research focus of the McCarthy Group is to develop a better understanding of the biochemistry of carbohydrate-producing enzymes from the bacterial pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. Our goal is to use these enzymes as potential synthetic tools for vaccine production and bioremediation applications.