Catalytic asymmetric reactions of sulfenes

硫化物、亚硫醚、亚硫醚、磺胺、磺酸盐等含硫官能团存在于大量生物和药理上重要的分子中，包括生物素、硫辛酸、蛋氨酸、半胱氨酸、牛磺酸、抗肿瘤、抗溃疡、抗炎、抗糖尿病、抗哮喘、抗贫血、抗病毒、抗精神病、强心、抗过敏和抗偏头痛药物，以及治疗前列腺肥大和男性勃起功能障碍的药物。这份榜单包括20种最畅销药品中的14种，2005年的总销售额超过400亿美元(美国的销售数据)。尽管所有这些值得注意的临床化合物中都含有硫，但将硫安装到分子中的方法远远落后于安装氧气或氮气的技术。我们的研究目标是开发通用的、广泛范围的方法来构建含硫分子。从长远来看，这项研究的成功将对药物化学和药物发现产生重大影响，导致新的、更便宜和更有效的药物。

Sulfur-containing functional groups- sulfides, sulfoxides, sulfenes, sulfonamides, sulfonates, etc.- are present in a vast array of biologically and pharmacologically important molecules, including biotin, lipoic acid, methionine, cysteine, taurine, anti-biotic  anti-tumor, anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-asthma, anti-anemia, anti-viral, anti-psychotic, cardiotonic, anti-allergic and anti-migraine agents, as well as treatments for enlargement of the prostate gland and male erectile dysfunction. Included in this list are 14 of the 20 top grossing pharmaceuticals, with total sales of over $40 billion US in 2005 (US sales figures).Despite the presence of sulfur in all of these noteworthy clinical compounds, methods for installation of sulfur into molecules are far less developed than techniques for installing oxygen or nitrogen. The goal of our research is to develop general, broad scope methods for the construction of sulfur-containing molecules. The long term the success of this research would heavily impact the worlds of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, leading to new, cheaper and more effective medicines.