Hydroxy piperidine derivatives to treat gaucher disease

The present invention provides novel hydroxy piperidine (HP) derivatives having (i) a positive charge at the position corresponding to the anomeric position of a pyranose ring; (ii) a short, flexible linker emanating from the corresponding position of the ring oxygen in a pyranose; and (iii) a lipophilic moiety connected to the linker and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The linker can be absent if the lipophilic moiety corresponds to a hydrocarbon chain with a linear length of 6 or more carbons. The present invention further provides a method for treating individuals having Gaucher disease by administering the novel HP derivative as "active-site specific chaperones" for the mutant glucocerebrosidase associated with the disease.