Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba
Synthetic organic chemistry has already had a significant impact on the fields of medicinal chemistry and neuroscience research, with major advancements being applied towards developing new pharmaceutical therapies for the study and manipulation of neurological systems. With this in mind, the future of synthetic organic chemistry will involve the development and application of innovative technologies in the field of organic synthesis as applied to the field of neuroscience. My research interests are largely focused on drug discovery, and have an end goal of improving the process of drug development and facilitating innovation in medicinal chemistry and neuroscience.
Specifically, I’m interested in developing novel flow chemistry techniques that will aim at enhancing current synthetic organic methodologies, and focus on lead generation and optimization in drug discovery. New developments in synthetic methodologies using flow chemistry will replace existing techniques and avoid the need for the work‐up, purification and manipulation required by current methods, making syntheses shorter and greener. My future research will entail the development and application of flow chemistry techniques towards solving some of the current limitations of organic synthesis, and also apply this technique towards enhancing and accelerating medicinal chemistry programs with a focus on neuroscience.
Currently I am setting up a modern synthetic organic chemistry lab for use by my research group in the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba, with all of the requisite equipment (rotary evaporators, balances, hotplates, purification instruments), glassware and lab supplies that are required to synthesize molecules of interest. My research poster will discuss recent advances in the field of flow chemistry, relating to pharmaceutical sciences, and present the future direction of my research group.