Organic methodology development and natural product synthesis. Chemical biology, particularly the development of Heat Shock Protein-90 (Hsp90) inhibitors and their application as cancer and neurodegenerative therapeutics. The use of NMR for structure elucidation and assignment. The combined use of NMR and computational chemistry for conformational analysis through molecular modelling.

Synthesis of macrolactam analogues of radicicol and their binding to heat shock protein Hsp90. Dutton, B. L., Kitson, R.R.A., Parry-Morris, S., Roe, S.M., Prodromou, C., Moody, C.J., Org. Biomol.Chem., 2014, 12, 1328-1340. 19-Substituted benzoquinone ansamycin heat shock protein-90 inhibitors: Biological activity and decreased off-target toxicity. Chang, C.-H., Dreschel, D.A., Kitson, R.R.A., Siegel, D., You, Q., Backos, D.S., Ju, C., Moody, C.J., Ross, D., Mol. Pharm., 2014, 85, 849-857. Heat shock protein 90 controls HIV-1 reactivation from latency. Anderson, I., Low, J.S., Weston, S., Weinberger, M., Zhyvouloup, A., Labokha, A.A., Corazza, G., Kitson, R.R.A., Moody, C.J., Marcello, A., Fassati, A., PNAS., 2014, 111, E1528-E1537. Toward the Total Synthesis of Hygrocin B and Divergolide C: Construction of the Naphthoquinone–Azepinone Core. Nawrat, C.C., Kitson, R.R.A., Moody, C.J., Org. Lett., 2014, 16, 1896-1899. An Improved Route to 19-Substituted Geldanamycins. Kitson, R.R.A., Moody, C.J., Chem. Commun., 2013, 49, 8441-8443. Learning from Nature: Advances in Geldanamycin and Radicicol-Based Inhibitors of Hsp90.Kitson, R.R.A., Moody, C.J., J. Org. Chem., 2013, 78, 5117-5141. Synthesis of 19-substituted geldanamycins with altered conformations and their binding to heat shock protein Hsp90.Kitson, R.R.A., Chang, C.-H., Xiong, R., Dehn, D. L., Williams, H.E.L, Davis, A.L., Lewis, W., Siegel, D., Roe, S.M., Prodromou, C., Ross, D., Moody, C.J., Nature Chem. 2013, 9426-9451. The Renaissance of α-Methylene-γ-butyrolactones: New Synthetic Approaches.Kitson, R.R.A., Millemaggi, A., Taylor, R.J.K., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2009, 9426-9451. A One-Pot, Base-Free Annelation Approach to α-Alkylidene-γ-butyrolactones.Kitson, R.R.A., Taylor, R.J.K., Wood, J.L., Org. Lett., 2009, 5338-5341.