Research Interests

1. Synthesis of Biologically Active Natural Products as New Drug Candidates. The natural product estate has proven itself to be an invaluable resource in the search for new lead agents of medicinal import. More often are the instances where the natural products themselves serve as lead agents, providing the chemist with a structural platform which can be elaborated upon, or simplified, to yield a therapeutically valuable pharmaceutical. By this context, total syntheses of biologically active natural products and their analogues would give the opportunities for easy access to new drug candidates.

2. Development of Novel Synthetic Methods. Design and development of unique and efficient synthetic strategies will allow rapid access to molecular complexity and structural diversity. A specific area of interest includes the development of novel methods for the stereoselective synthesis of structurally complex oxygen and nitrogen heterocycles (especially tetrahydropyran, tetrahydrofuran and piperidine) that are found in a wide range of biologically interesting natural products. These molecules exhibit significant pharmacological activities, including antitumor, antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, cardiovascular, and neuroprotective activities. Due to the importance of these molecules, a number of methods have been developed for the construction of heterocycles. Despite these developments, there is still a great need for a synthetic approach towards these classes of molecules that (1) allows for easy access to substrates, (2) rapidly increases molecular complexity from readily available, inexpensive starting materials, (3) proceeds with excellent stereoselectivity and yield, (4) possesses the versatility for a wide range of substitution patterns of cyclic ethers, and (5) requires mild reaction conditions compatible with various functional groups.