Ph.D. (2000) Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chemical Biology/Synthesis and Catalysis

Natural products synthesis, synthetic methodology, and reaction processes for biomedical research Our fundamental research goal is to devise, develop, and apply new ideas in organic chemistry to the efficient synthesis of interesting molecules, particularly natural products with medicinal applications. Natural products research impacts the development of many important drugs; relevant examples include aspirin, penicillin, cortisone, and paclitaxel. Complex natural products arise from millions of years of evolutionary screening, and often target specific interactions in intricate biological systems. In these and many other cases, organic synthesis plays a key role in helping us capitalize on desired biological activities. We can continue to benefit from this natural selection process by developing practical syntheses of natural products and analogs.

Two main criteria guide our choice of research topics in synthetic organic chemistry: 1. Will our efforts generate new knowledge in synthetic chemistry of interest to ourselves and to the greater chemistry community? 2. Will our efforts provide better access to synthetic compounds of interest to ourselves and to the greater science community?

Kamijo, S.; Dudley, G. B. Tandem nucleophilic addition/fragmentation reactions and synthetic versatility of vinylogous acyl triflates. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 6499?C6507. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja0608085

Gold, B.; Dudley, G. B.; Alabugin, I. V. Moderating strain without sacrificing reactivity: Design of fast and tunable noncatalyzed alkyne-azide cycloadditions via stereoelectronically controlled transition