New approaches to combating drug resistance via saturated chemical architectures

In this synthetic chemistry project we examine the feasibility of replacing aromatic pharmacophores saturated hydrocarbon frameworks as a means of discovering new therapeutic agents that are less likely to induce drug resistance. Drug resistance is an increasing health and economic concern with the emergence of diseases that respond poorly to standard treatment regimes. There are numerous ways by which drug resistance and drug deactivation can arise. The development of drugs that overcome these pathways is a key challenge today. The aims of this project are to develop new synthetic methods for the chemical synthesis of saturated hydrocarbon motifs to expand the accessible chemical space of saturated caged-hydrocarbons. Analogues of benzene-containing pharmaceuticals will be devised to assess how these structural modifications affect deactivating metabolic pathways. This technology does not only has potential applications in the development of new medicines, but also for the innovation of novel polymers, energetic materials and catalysts.