Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded Harvard College's Office for Sponsored Programs a $125,000 Project Grant effective February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2028, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859). This research initiative focuses on developing catalytic, enantioselective hydrochlorination reactions of alkenes through hydrogen-bond-donor organocatalysis to produce enantioenriched alkyl chlorides. The project encompasses mechanistic and computational investigations to identify optimal hydrogen-bond-donor catalyst frameworks and cooperative metal halide cocatalysts, with the goal of enabling asymmetric synthesis of diverse chiral motifs for pharmaceutical and biological applications.

The research deliverables include the design and characterization of novel catalyst systems for enantioselective alkene hydrochlorination, mechanistic insights into non-covalent interactions critical for enantioindiction, and stereospecific displacement methodologies to generate chiral compounds suitable for drug discovery. In a secondary research component (R00 phase), the award supports exploration of dynamic kinetic resolution and formal activation of quaternary stereocenters through cooperative metal halide catalysis. These synthetic advances are intended to facilitate access to underexplored chemical matter for biological evaluation and support the discovery of novel therapeutic technologies.