The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) was awarded a $575,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program. The grant supports UIC Professor Tom G. Driver's research to develop new metal-catalyzed reactions for synthesizing medium-ring carbocycles and heterocycles, which are important structural motifs in pharmaceuticals and natural products. The goal is to exploit the unique reactivity of non-carbonyl stabilized metal carbenes to construct seven- and eight-membered rings through the formation of new carbon-carbon, carbon-sulfur, carbon-oxygen, and carbon-nitrogen bonds. The project aims to address limitations in current synthetic methods and increase the representation of medium-ring molecules in pharmaceutical compound libraries. UIC plans to incorporate the resulting medium-ring compounds into its drug discovery library and screen them for potential drug candidates. The grant also supports the training of students at all levels and outreach to high school students to promote STEM career pathways.
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