Figure 2. a. Fragment-based screening: Small and structurally diverse molecules (circles represent functional groups) are screened for a biological target, and they are combined and modified to generate drug-like compounds. b. Diversity-oriented synthesis: Large collections of structurally diverse and complex molecules are made using a short number of reactions. The resulting compounds are optimized to produce the drug-like compounds. | Credit: P. J. Hajduk,W. R. J. D. Galloway & D. R. Spring Nature, 2011, 470, 42–43. DOI: 10.1038/470042a

The discovery and development of new drugs is a long and expensive process, and despite of it, essential to face present and new diseases. For small molecules, which account for the majority of the marketed drugs, the discovery process generally involves finding a starting point termed hit or lead compound. These molecules have biological activity but need to be optimized to enhance their potency and selectivity (i.e. minimize the toxicity) and improve pharmacokinetic parameters making them suitable to go to the next stage, the pre-clinical tests……….http://mappingignorance.org/2014/07/04/lead-oriented-synthesis-new-concept-aid-drug-discovery-process/

Author

pablo ortiz

Pablo Ortiz graduated in Pharmacy from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and received a MSc in Synthetic and Industrial Chemistry by the same university. He is currently a PhD student in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). His research is focused on novel copper catalysed transformations.

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/pablo-ortiz/72/517/390

PhD at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Experience

PhD Student, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

October 2013 – Present

Asymmetric organometallic catalysis focused on tertiary alcohols and amines

Harutyunyan research group

Master Thesis Project

University of the Basque Country

February 2013 – September 2013 (8 months)Vitoria-Gasteiz Area, Spain

Estereoselective synthesis of quaternary alpha-aminophosphonic acid derivatives (organocatalysis)

Locum pharmacist

Community pharmacy

August 2012 – August 2012 (1 month)La Rioja, Spain

Pre-registration pharmacist

NHS Trust

January 2012 – June 2012 (6 months)Southport, England

In-patient and out-patient dispensing
Clinical pharmacy
Medicines information
Anticoagulant management
Aseptic preparation of medicines
Clinical audit of antimicrobial use

Publications

Tertiary α-diarylmethylamines derived from diarylketimines and organomagnesium reagents(Link)

Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 703-706.

November 13, 2014

Organomagnesium reagents enable swift and versatile derivatisation of diarylimines to the corresponding α-substituted diarylmethylamines in excellent yields, through fast and clean reactions. Where it occurs, 1,2-reduction can be circumvented using readily accessible dialkylmagnesium reagents.

Asymmetric Synthesis of Functionalized Tetrasubstituted α-Aminophosphonates through Enantioselective Aza-Henry Reaction of Phosphorylated Ketimines(Link)

J. Org. Chem., 2015, 80, 156–164

November 2014

Bifunctional Cinchona alkaloid thioureas efficiently catalyze asymmetric nucleophilic addition of nitromethane to ketimines derived from α-aminophosphonic acids to afford tetrasubstituted α-amino-β-nitro-phosphonates.

Catalytic Asymmetric Alkylation of Aryl Heteroaryl Ketones(Link)

Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2015, 72–76.

November 2014

Tertiary diarylmethanols are highly bioactive structural motifs. A new strategy to access chiral tertiary diarylmethanols through copper-catalyzed direct alkylation of (di)(hetero)aryl ketones by using Grignard reagents was developed. The low reactivity and the similarity of the enantiotopic faces of bis-aromatic ketones were partially overcome, which resulted in moderate to good yields and…more