B.A. in Chemistry (summa cum laude, with Honors), College of the Holy Cross, 1985. M.S. in Organic Chemistry, Yale University, 1988 Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Harvard University, 1992

Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Research in the Porco Group is focused in two major areas: the development of new synthetic methodologies for efficient chemical synthesis of complex molecules and synthesis of complex chemical libraries, the latter conducted at the Boston University Center for Molecular Discovery. Synthetic methodologies developed in the Porco Laboratory include copper (I)-mediated formation of enamides, oxa-electrocyclization/dimerization of dienals enroute to complex epoxyquinoids; enantioselective oxidative dearomatization using chiral copper complexes and molecular oxygen; photocycloaddition using oxidopyryliums enroute to the rocaglamides and related natural products, and catalytic ester-amide exchange using group (IV) metal alkoxide-activator complexes.

Dearomatization Strategies in Complex Synthesis aim to utilize aromatic scaffolds as starting materials as precursors to complex natural products. Biomimetic Synthesis Approaches involve development of methodologies to test plausible biosyntheses of complex natural products and derivatives. New Reaction Discovery is done in conjunction with the CMLD-BU and aims to discover transformations leading to novel chemotypes.

"Atropselective syntheses of (-) and (+) rugulotrosin A utilizing point-to-axial chirality transfer." Qin, T.; Skraba-Joiner, S.L.; Khalil, Z.G.; Johnson, R.P.; Capon, R.J.; Porco, J.A., Jr. Nat. Chem. 2015, 7, 234-240. "Biomimetic Kinetic Resolution: Highly Enantio- and Diastereoselective Transfer Hydrogenation of Aglain Ketones To Access Flavagline Natural Products." Stone, S.D.; Lajkiewicz, N.J.; Whitesell, L.; Hilmy, A.; Porco, J.A., Jr. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 525-530. "Thiourea-Catalyzed Enantioselective Addition of Indoles to Pyrones: Alkaloid Cores with Quaternary Carbons." Yeung, C.S.; Ziegler, R.E.; Porco, J.A., Jr.; Jacobsen, E.N. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 13614-13617. "Identification of a novel polyprenylated acylphloroglucinol-drived SIRT1 inhibitor with cancer‑specific anti-proliferative and invasion-suppressing activities." Zhu, L.; Qi J.; Chiao, C.Y.; Zhang, Q.; Porco, J.A., Jr.; Faller, D.V.; Dai, Y. J Oncol. 2014, 2128-2136. "Translation initiaion factor elF4F modifies the dexamethasone response in multiple myeloma." Robert, F.; Roman, W.; Bramoullé, F.; Fellmann, C.; Roulston, A.; Shustik, C.; Porco, J. A., Jr.; Shore, G.C.; Sebag, M.; Pelletier, J., PNAS 2014, Early Edition. "RNA G-quadruplexes cause elF4A-dependent oncogene translation in cancer." Wolfe, A.L; Singh, K.; Zhong, Y.; Drewe,P.; Rajsekhar, V.K.; Sanghvi, V.R.; Mavrakis, K.J.; Jiang, M.; Roderick, J.E.; Van der Meulen, J.; Schatz, J.H.; Rodrigo, C.M.; Zhao, C.; Rondou, P.; de Stanchina, E.; Teruya-Feldstein, J.; Kelliher, M.A.; Speleman, F.; Porco, J. A., Jr.; Pelletier, J.; Rätsch, G.; Wendel, H.G., Nature 2014, 453. "Rapid Synthesis of Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinol Analogs via Dearomative Conjunctive Allylic Annulation." Grenning, A.J.; Boyce, J.H.; Porco, J.A. Jr., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 11799-11804. "How proteins bind macrocycles." Villar, E.A.; Beglov, D.; Chennamadhavuni, S.; Porco, J.A. Jr.; Kozakov, D.; Vajda, S.; Whitty, A., Nature Chemical Biology 2014, 53, 7832-7837. "Asymmetric, Stereodivergent Synthesis of (−)-Clusianone Utilizing a Biomimetic Cationic Cyclization." Boyce, J.H.; Porco, J.A. Jr., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, Early View. "Multidimensional Reaction Screening for Photochemical Transformations as a Tool for Discovering New Chemotypes." Martin, V.I.; Goodell, J.R.; Ingham, O.J.; Porco, J.A. Jr.; Beeler, A.B., J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 3838-3846. "Total Synthesis and Stereochemical Assignment of (±)-Sorbiterrin A." Qi, C.; Qin, T.; Suzuki, D.; Porco, J.A. Jr., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 3374-3377. "Total Syntheses of Secalonic Acids A and D." Qin, T.; Porco, J.A. Jr., Angew. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 3107-3110. "Remodeling Natural Products: Chemistry and Serine Hydrolase Activity of a Rocoglate-Derived β-Lactone." Lajkiewicz, N.J; Cognetta, A.B. III; Niphakis, M.J.; Cravatt, B.F.; Porco, J.A. Jr., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 2659-2664.

"Remodeling of Fumagillol: Discovery of an Oxygen-Directed Oxidative Mannich Reaction." Grenning, A.J.; Snyder, J.K.; Porco, J.A. Jr., Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 792-795.