B.S. & M.S.: University of the West Indies, Ph.D.: University of Maryland, Post-Doctoral Research: Duke University

Organic Chemistry

Our research centers on the design and synthesis of molecular probes for biological pathways, with the ultimate goal of elucidating disease processes and devising new therapeutic strategies. Our interests span two broad categories of molecules, unnatural analogues of disease-related carbohydrates and natural products with unique biological activity.

Tony, K. A.; Denton, R. W.; Dilhas, A.; Jiménez-Barbero, J.; Mootoo, D. R. Synthesis of b-C-galacto-pyranosides with fluorine on the pseudoanomeric substituent. Org. Lett. 2007 9, 1441-1444.

Garg, H.; Francella, N.; Tony, K. A.; Augustin, L. A.; Fantini, J.; Barchi Jr, J. J.; Puri, A.; Mootoo, D. R.; Blumenthal, R. Glycoside analogues of b-galactosylceramide, a novel class of small molecule inhibitors for HIV-1 entry. Antiviral Res. 2008 80, 54-61.

Synthesis of the C-glycoside analog of b-galactosamine-(1->4)-3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositol and assay as activator of protein phosphatases PDHP and PP2CaHans, S. K.; Camara, F.; Altiti, A.; Martin-Montalvo, A.; Brautigan, D. L.; Heimark, D.; Larner, J.; Grindrod, S.; Brown, M.; Mootoo, D. R. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2010, 18, 1103-1110.

Synthesis, gp120 binding and anti-HIV activity of fatty acid esters of 1,1-linked disaccharides. Bachan, S.; Fantini, J.; Joshi, A.; Garg, H.; Mootoo, D. R. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2011, 19, 14803-14811.

Synthesis and anti-tumor activity of carbohydrate analogues of the tetrahydrofuran containing acetogenins. Bachan, S.; Tony, K. A.; Kawamura, A.; Montenegro, D.; Koshi, A.; Garg, H. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2013, 21, 6554-6564.

Synthesis of the C-glycoside of alpha-D-mannose-(1, 6)-myo-inositoll. Hans, S.; Altiti, A. Mootoo, D. R. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2013, 11, 6952-6953.

Li, X.; Li, J.; Mootoo, D. R. Synthesis of the ABCD trioxadispiroketal subunit of azaspiracid-1: An iodoetherification-dehydroiodination strategy for complex spiroketals. Org. Lett. 2007, 9, 4303-4306.

Li, J.; Todaro, L.J.; Mootoo, D. R. Synthesis of the AB subunit of angelmicin B through a tandem alkoxy radical fragmentation-etherification sequence. Org. Lett. 2008,10, 1337-1340.

Wang, F.; Kawamura, A. Mootoo, D. R. Synthesis and antitumor activity of C-9 epimers of the tetrahydrofuran containing acetogenin 4-deoxyannoreticuin. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2008,16, 8413-8418

Synthesis of an AB precursor to angelmicin B: Product diversification in the Suárez lactol fragmentation. Li, J.; Todaro, L.; Mootoo, D. R. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2011, 6281-6287.

Synthetic studies on the bis-anthraquinoid core of the Synthetic studies on the bis-anthraquinoid core of the angelimicins. Li, J.; Mootoo, D. R. Synthesis 2013, 45, 2287-2293.