Investigation of the chemical, biological, and medical profiles of such compounds is also a major focus within the group, as is solid-phase synthesis and combinatorial chemistry. Overall, our programs are based on sophisticated synthetic organic chemistry and are directed toward the construction of novel molecular architectures of natural or designed origins. Emphasis is placed on both biomedical relevance and the advancement of organic synthesis as a science for its own sake. Substantial efforts are under way in our laboratories on the chemical synthesis and elucidation of the mechanism of action of these compounds as a first step toward understanding and controlling these phenomena.
Cancer continues to be a major killer, second only to heart disease.
New chemotherapeutic agents are in demand, particularly to combat drug-resistant types of cancer. Our efforts in this area include programs for the total synthesis of taxoids, enediynes, epothilones A and B, eleutherobin, and the sarcodictyins. Heart disease in humans has been convincingly linked to serum cholesterol levels, and cholesterol-lowering drugs are therefore of great value for maintaining normal health. Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to human health, and new antibiotics are urgently needed. Vancomycin, teicoplanin, and everninomicin are such compounds for which chemical synthesis is progressing in our laboratories.