Tags: Organic Seminar


Computer-Aided Synthesis Planning

  Abstract: Retrosynthetic analysis and the development of a synthetic plan is a key step in the synthesis of natural and most pharmaceutically relevant targets. The algorithmic nature of this process makes it appear amenable to automation, and in fact the development of a synthesis planning computer program was first proposed by E. J. Corey in 1967, in the same paper in which he first formalized the principles of retrosynthetic analysis.…


Self-immolative colorimetric, fluorescent and chemiluminescent chemosensors

Self-immolative chemistry has undergone rapid development in the past decades and led to molecular systems that possesses stimuli-responsive releasing properties. The unique self-immolative spacers serve as the fundamental component at these systems. They covalently link reagent-responsive group and a reporter moiety and can structurally “sacrifice” themselves in order to implement their designated function. The first self-immolative spacer was…


Human Milk Oligosaccharides: Defense Against Pathogens

As bacteria play essential roles in maintaining human health and contributing to human illness, the establishment and maintenance of a symbiotic microbiome is key to metabolic, immunologic, and hormonal homeostasis. At no time is this more important than during infancy which is a critical period of growth and immune system development. Human milk contributes substantially to the establishment of a healthy gut microbiome in breastfed infants by…


Indole Alkaloids and Phenazine Antibiotics: New Platforms for Discovery

Various natural products, such as taxol, morphine and vancomycin, play a prominent role in medicine due to their ability to modulate biological targets critical to human disease. Our lab has two natural product inspired synthetic medicinal chemistry programs, driven by the structural complexity of indole alkaloids and the function of phenazine antibiotics. Each program aims to address major biomedical problems, including: (1) enhancing…


Programming the Properties and Degradation of Sustainable Polymers

Main-chain and side-chain functionality are critical to polymeric thermal properties and degradation behavior.  This presentation will describe synthetic routes for polymerizing bioaromatics and other biogenic cyclics to yield polymers with high glass transition temperatures or high melting temperatures.  Some of these monomers are already present in common biomass sources, including vanillin, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic…


Developing Biocatalysts for the Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Amines


Ladderizing Functional Organic pi-Systems

The main research focus of the Fang group is conjugated ladder molecules and macromolecules, in which the entire molecular backbone is fused and π-conjugated. The structures of these ladder-type systems mimic the constitution of graphene nanoribbons, endowing them with promising electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. These unique fused-ring constitutions, however, also impose formidable synthetic and processing challenges on the…


Chemical approaches to challenging drug delivery problems: From gasotransmitters to enrichment-triggered release

Abstract: Prodrug approaches are often used to solve drug delivery problems. In doing so, the chemistry needed to bioreversibly derivatize the drug molecule is the key. Along this line, bioreversible derivatization of gasotransmitters such as nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide are especially challenging. Furthermore, the chemistry used to prepare antibody-drug conjugates also has much room for improvement. This presentation will…


Small-molecule detection and enantiopurity measurement using DNA-based sensors

Nucleic acids are exquisitely adept at molecular recognition and self-assembly, enabling them to direct nearly all of the processes that make life possible. These capabilities have been fine-tuned by billions of years of evolution, and more recently, have been harnessed in the laboratory to enable the use of DNA and RNA for applications that are completely unrelated to their canonical biological roles. In our lab, we seek to use DNA and RNA for…


Importance of Electrostatic Effects in Stacking Interactions of Heterocyclic Drug Fragments

Stacking interactions are an important contributor to drug binding, as heterocycles are common in drugs. Beyond π-stacking interactions, unconventional stacking interactions of heterocyclic drug fragments with backbone amide bonds, and Arg-Asp salt bridges can also contribute significantly to the enthalpy of drug binding.  These interactions can be quite strong, but are not generally well understood. I will present highly-accurate computed…
Subscribe to Organic Seminar