Medicinal chemistry

Our group members have considerable expertise in the synthesis of complex molecules and the use of modern synthetic methodologies including multicomponent reactions, catalysis, C-H activation, H-D exchange and late-stage functionalisation towards drug-like moieties.  This design is integrated with computational chemistry and molecular modelling, biological and developability assay data and physicochemical characterisation and prediction. We are especially adept at using xray crystallography to develop druglike entities such as chemical probes, starting from weakly active fragment starting points, and hybrid molecules such as PROTACs.

 Medicinal chemistry is undertaken in modern, refurbished laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for synthesis and purification of bespoke compounds and small, focussed analogue sets. We are well equipped with Opentrons robots, H-Cube (above left) photochemical reactors, Asynt Blowdown solvent evaporators (above right), Biotage® microwave reactors and Teledyne and Biotage® automated purification systems to engage in efficient preparation of molecules for physicochemical and biological profiling.  We have integrated analytical services, in particular with LCMS, HPLC to support reaction monitoring and purification.

We have access to university infrastructure such as NMR (Varian, 400 & 600 MHz spectrometers), High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (Bruker Daltonics), crystallography (Rigaku, 007-HF) , Cryo-EM.