Medicinal Chemistry and Synthesis

Medicinal chemistry

Medicinal Chemistry covers all elements of the development of new medicines for human use, including the isolation of new medicinal agents from natural sources, the design and synthesis of new drugs, and understanding the cause of diseases at the molecular level.

Research groups

The Pyne group’s interests are concerned with the application of organic chemical synthesis to the preparation of novel and biologically relevant heterocyclic compounds for new drug discovery. Our current collaborative projects include:

  1. Azasugar alkaloids and their analogues as alpha-glycosidase inhibitors with potential applications as anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs.
  2. New N- and O-heterocycles via novel metal-catalyzed reaction discovery (with C. Hyland)
  3. Cationic peptides for the discovery of new antibacterial agents to fight pathogenic bacteria including Clostridium difficile involved in gut infections (with P. Keller and H.Yu).

We are also collaborating with scientists in SE Asia (Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia) and Nigeria on studying traditional medical plants for the discovery of new antibacterial, anti-cancer and anti-malarial agents.

View Professor Stephen Pyne's Scholars page

Contact spyne@uow.edu.au for more information

The Hyland research group develops new catalytic chemical reactions for the synthesis of biologically important molecular motifs. In particular, we focus on the stereoselective synthesis of complex heterocycles via transition metal catalysis. The ultimate aim of our work is to develop tools for chemists and biologists to build complex molecules that may be used in new pharmaceuticals, biological probes or materials, while contributing to fundamental chemical knowledge.  We also use our knowledge of reaction mechanisms and organometallics to design selective anti-cancer pro-drugs that are activated by reactive oxygen species. 

View Dr Chris Hyland's Scholars page

Contact chrhyl@uow.edu.au for more information.

View Scholars page