Cyanamides: Exploring New Approaches Towards Heterocyclic Scaffolds

新药的开发对于确保改善世界人口的健康和满足未得到满足的医疗需求至关重要。此外，随着基因组研究的进步，估计很快就会发现数千个与医疗条件有关的新的生物靶点。这给科学家施加了巨大的压力，要求他们及时设计、开发和交付新分子，以满足这些需求。传统上，在药物发现中寻找新的先导分子主要集中在自然来源或从制药库中筛选现有的化合物文库。不幸的是，由于分子支架的结构多样性和复杂性相对有限，这些过程可能既耗时又死胡同。该项目将提供新的化学方法，从简单、容易获得和低成本的起始材料构建新型分子核心。杂环是环中至少含有一个杂原子(如氧、氮、硫)的碳基环化合物，通常是药物的重要活性成分。这项提议的关键创新是发明、开发和应用了一套新的化学试剂，称为氰胺。这些试剂含有独特的具有多种官能团的化学键，在化学合成中发挥多种作用非常重要。所描述的新化学利用非常温和的条件来提供结构复杂和多样化的分子阵列。这一过程将导致识别构建杂环体系的新化学途径，这是药物发现计划的关键。此外，由于该协议涉及两个片段的偶联，因此有很大的范围来探索可以直接引入到分子的杂环核心上的各种官能团。这将使人们能够快速访问目前未被代表的各种分子框架。这将导致产生针对各种生物目标的潜在先导化合物。大学和工业内部的合作研究将有助于评估这些新化合物是否为潜在的药物。拟议项目的更广泛结果将对科学和整个社会做出积极贡献。

The development of new medicines are essential to ensure improvement in the health of the world's population, and to tackle unmet medical needs. Furthermore, with the advances in genomic research, it is estimated that several thousand new biological targets associated with medical conditions will soon be identified. This exerts enormous pressure on scientists to design, develop and deliver new molecules in a timely fashion to meet these demands. Traditionally, the search for new lead molecules in drug discovery has been mainly focused on natural sources or screening existing compound libraries available from the pharmaceutical banks. Unfortunately, these processes could be time consuming as well as hitting dead ends with the relatively limited structural diversity and complexity of molecular scaffolds available.This project will deliver new chemical methods for the construction of novel molecular cores from a simple, readily available and low cost starting material.Heterocyles are carbon based ring compounds containing at least one heteroatom (such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur) in the ring and, are frequently the essential active component of drugs. The key innovation of this proposal is the invention, development and application of a new set of chemical reagents, called cyanamides. These reagents contain unique chemical linkages with multiple functionality, and are important in performing multiple roles in chemical synthesis. The new chemistry described utilises very mild conditions to deliver arrays of structurally complex and diverse molecules.The process will lead to the identification of new chemical pathways for the construction of heterocyclic systems, which are key to the drug discovery programme. Furthermore as the protocol involves coupling of two fragments, there is significant scope to explore a wide variety of functional groups that could be introduced directly onto the heterocyclic core of the molecule. This will enable rapid access to diverse molecular frameworks that are not currently represented. This will lead to the generation of potential lead compounds against a wide variety of biological targets. Collaborative research both within University and Industry will help evaluate the new compounds as potential drugs.The wider outcome of the proposed project will have a positive contribution to science and society in general.