Our laboratory focuses on the synthesis of complex molecular architectures, including both designed and naturally occurring substances with novel structural features and interesting biological function. To facilitate the execution of efficient and practical syntheses, we also develop novel methodology relevant to medicinal chemistry and complex natural products synthesis. We continue to take advantage of the collaborative, multi-disciplinary research environment at UTSW, and have significantly fortified our chemistry program with molecular pharmacology, biochemistry, and discovery biology.
We collaborate on various biomedical research projects including the discovery of novel small-molecule activators of programmed cell death, orexin receptor agonists for the treatment of narcolepsy, antitumor agents that selectively target Glioma Stem Like Cells (GSCs) and colon cancers with APC mutations, and V-ATPase inhibitors and their role in cancer and as anti-viral agents. These multidisciplinary programs has provided us with deep expertise in complex molecule synthesis, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and preclinical drug development.
Recently, our group joined forces with the Nijhawan Lab to jointly deploy our expertise in chemistry, small molecule pharmacology, biochemistry, and genetics to accelerate the process of discovering the target(s) of orphan small molecules with interesting phenotypes. We focus both on biochemical and state-of-the-art forward genetics systems.