Jobs in School of Medicine

Host : Professor Alessio Ciulli

Venue: MSI Small Lecture Theatre, SLS

Abstract

 DNA-encoded libraries are becoming widely established as a hit-finding methodology. They allow screening of large numbers of compounds by affinity selection.  Currently their use is limited by the range of chemistries that are available for their synthesis. The talk will describe our approach to improve the synthetic methods for their construction, in particular with the use of micellar catalysis to promote aqueous chemistry and protect DNA. It will also cover novel applications of the technology in fragment expansion.

Bio:

Currently: Chair of Medicinal Chemistry at Newcastle University, Head of Chemistry for the Cancer Research UK Newcastle Drug Discovery Unit, Director of Academic Medicinal Chemistry for Cancer Research Horizons, Editor-in-Chief RSC Medicinal Chemistry.  

Previously: worked at AstraZeneca (2001-2015) as Principal Scientist.  Worked mainly in the areas of diabetes and oncology and his work has led to the discovery of 14 drug candidates, including the marketed EGFR inhibitor osimertinib (Tagrisso™).  

Research interests: property-based optimisation, covalent inhibition, new methods of hit generation inc fragments and DNA-encoded libraries.