Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Organoboron chemistry, the study of organic compounds containing carbon-boron bonds, plays a key role by providing chemical reactions that are changing the way synthetic drugs are produced in the pharmaceutical industry. The nominee is an expert on fundamental research and applications of boronic acids, a stable and convenient class of boron compounds that display unique properties and can be turned reactive under the right conditions. Using novel chemistry of boronic acids, the goal of the proposed program is two-fold: 1) to invent new reactions and new catalysts to achieve or improve chemical reactions that are environmentally friendlier ("greener") and more cost-effective, 2) to translate these discoveries into solutions for real-life problems in areas such as human health (i.e., cancer chemotherapeutics). These challenges will be tackled by developing novel carbon-carbon bond forming reactions to access and optimize classes of molecules that display anticancer properties.