New developments in organic synthesis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Our research program is aimed at the development of novel strategies and new synthetic methods and reagents for the efficient and selective generation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. Complex biologically active natural products or other pharmaceutically relevant molecules, containing unique structural motifs are of particular interest, and will be tackled using the new methods developed in our laboratories. We are particularly interested in the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles, the use of organoboron compounds, pericyclic reactions (including electrocyclizations, sigmatropic rearrangements, and cycloadditions), and transition metal catalyzed reactions. We define the scope of the methods and determine the mechanism of the reactions. Reactions and reagents that are of broad applicability and practical benefit to other synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry problems are of particular interest. Molecules synthesized in our laboratories are tested in biological screens, against targets implicated in cancer or pain. This program is significant not only in terms of the science and technology developed, but also provides the training and research environment for students interested in research careers in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and agrochemical industries.