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Core B: Synthesis

The mission of the Synthesis Core is to:
(1) be a resource for Center principal investigators and their colleagues to validate their novel chemical methodologies,
(2) be a repository for reagents and compound sets produced within the greater Center, and
(3) be a broker of Center reagents and compounds in the greater biomedical research community.

Personnel

The Director of the Synthesis Core is Dr. Frank Schoenen. Dr. Schoenen received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry with Prof. Steven D. Burke at the University of South Carolina in 1987. He then did postdoctoral studies as an NIH Fellow in the laboratories of Prof. Stuart L. Schreiber at Yale University and Harvard University. Dr. Schoenen joined the pharmaceutical company Glaxo in 1990 as a medicinal chemist working in the inflammation therapeutic area, contributed to the early efforts to apply combinatorial chemistry within GlaxoWellcome as a colleague of H. Mario Geysen, and worked in Discovery Research High Throughput Chemistry in the nuclear receptor system in GlaxoSmithKline. He joined the KU CMLD in July of 2005. Dr. Schoenen is an Associate Research Professor in the Higuchi Biosciences Center and Courtesy Associate Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry.
Click here to send Dr. Schoenen an email.

Distinguished Professor Lester A. Mitscher serves as a Senior Advisor to the Synthesis Core. Professor Mitscher has a long-term research interest in the synthesis and molecular modes of action of natural products including antimicrobial agents and chemopreventive agents (with an emphasis on antimutagenesis). Prof. Mitscher has received the Smissman Award and Medicinal Chemistry Award (ACS), Research Achievement Award (APhA), Volweiler Award (AACP), the Higuchi-Simons Award (KU), and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as chair of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry from 1975-1993, and has held posts in numerous professional organizations. He consults for several major pharmaceutical firms, and is on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Heterocycles, the Journal of Antibiotics, Biorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Biorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters, and the Saudi Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Click here to send Professor Mitscher an email.

Ms. Tatiana Odintsova was hired in May 2007 as the Compound Management Specialist for the KU CMLD Center. She graduated from Tashkent State University (Uzbekistan) with a degree in Analytical Chemistry. Ms. Odintsova has experience with a wide range of instrumentation in the field of mass spectrometry. Ms. Odintsova has research experience in industrial and academic laboratories. Prior to joining the CMLD Center, she conducted research in the Biochemical Research Service Laboratory (BRSL) at KU. Prior to joining the BRSL, Ms. Odintsova worked for a Russian Pharmaceutical Company in Sales & Marketing and provided technical and scientific consulting to clinics, hospitals, and medical centers. Ms. Odintsova is also responsible for the Center Chemical Inventory and serves as the CMLD Center Safety Officer. She oversees compound management from data-management through compound submission to Center Biological Outreach Partners. As the Center Compound Management Specialist, she is responsible for operating the following instrumentation: Balance Automator, Genevac EZ-2 Plus parallel evaporator, MiniMapper liquid-handler, Gilson 215 liquid handler, Biomek FX liquid handler, and the AbGene plate sealer.

Mr. David Hill is a 2007 graduate of the University of Kansas where he earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Biology. He is currently working as a Research Assistant/Library Synthesis Specialist for the Core B after serving in a similar capacity, part-time, as an undergraduate. David specializes in the operation of laboratory instrumentation. His automation expertise includes the Chemspeed SLT100 Automated Synthesizer, for which he is a Center super-user. David is also an expert user for a variety of instrumentation from the MT AutoChem Medicinal Chemistry Toolbox: MiniBlock, MiniMapper, ALLEXis, and Balance Automator. In addition to validating new chemical methodologies and producing compound libraries, David contributes to compound management, from data-management through compound submission to Center Biological Outreach Partners. In his spare time, David is studying toward a second degree, in Chemistry, from the University of Kansas.


Facilities

The CMLD Core B occupies four labs in Building B of the KU Life Science Research Laboratories. Two Core B labs support synthetic organic chemistry performed in the traditional manner, i.e., round-bottom flasks. The remaining two labs were redesigned recently to serve as an automation-intensive suite.

Prof. Jeff Aubé and Dr. Erik Fenster discuss the Schmidt reaction as a platform for the synthesis of γ-turn peptide mimetics.

Ms. Bettina Quade, a synthesis chemist on secondment from the labs of Prof. Oliver Reiser, prepares building blocks for a library of tetrahydroquinoline compounds.

Instrumentation

The Synthesis Core provides expertise and instruments for performing solution- and solid-phase chemistry and compound management. The major equipment located in the Synthesis Core, which is available to all Center participants, includes:
(1) the Innovative Technology Pure-Solv
(2) the Chemspeed Accelerator SLT 100 for automated chemical synthesis
(3) the MT Autochem MiniBlock, MiniBlock XT, MiniBlock XT Plus, Radley’s Greenhouse, IRORI Kan system, and Argonaut Quest 205 and 210 Synthesizers for serial/parallel/semi-automated/manual solution- and solid-phase synthesis
(4) the Innovative Technology System One Glove Box
(5) the Biotage Emrys Optimizer for serial microwave-assisted synthesis
(6) the Gilson 215 SPE, Teledyne ISCO CombiFlash Companion and Biotage Horizon purification systems
(7) the Genevac EZ-2 Plus and Genevac DD-4 for parallel solvent evaporation
(8) the Virtis Advantage freeze dryer for batch freeze drying
(9) the MT AutoChem ALLEXis for automated liquid-liquid extraction
(10) the MT AutoChem MiniMapper and Gilson 215 for automated liquid-handling
(11) the MT AutoChem Balance Automator for automated weighing and bar-code reading
(12) REVCO –80 °C freezers for compound storage.

Solvent Purification: Innovative Technology Pure-Solv

Dr. Kevin Frankowski syringes solvent purified using the Innovative Technology, Inc. Pure-Solv SPS-400-5 solvent purification system.

For additional information, please visit www.innovativet.com/solvent-purification.htm

 

 

Automated Chemical Synthesis: Chemspeed SLT 100

Mr. David Hill, Dr. Erik Fenster, and Prof. Jeff Aubé discuss programming the ChemSpeed Accelerator SLT100 to perform a three-component library synthesis of 1,4-diazepion-5-ones as γ-turn peptide mimetics.

The Chemspeed Accelerator SLT100 performs fully-automated liquid- and solid-handling, reaction agitation/heating/cooling, liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, and solvent evaporation.

For additional information, please visit www.chemspeed.com/index.php

 

Parallel Synthesis: MiniBlock SPE and MiniBlock XT

Ms. Priyanka Chaudhry employs the MiniBlock for solution-phase synthesis using solid-phase reagents and scavengers to facilitate the synthesis of a library of oxazoline and dihydrooxazine compounds.

For additional information, please visit www.mt.com/autochem

 

Flash Chromatography: ISCO CombiFlash Companion

Dr. Shankar Manyem, working in the Center on a project with Prof. Mukund Sibi to synthesize a library of pyrazoline compounds, uses the CombiFlash Companion flash chromatography system to purify library building blocks.

For additional information, please visit www.isco.com

 

Parallel Solvent Evaporation: Genevac EZ-2 Plus

Ms. Priyanka Chaudhry uses the Genevac EZ-2 Plus to remove solvent from compounds in vials destined for Center biological outreach partners.

For additional information, please visit www.genevac.com

 

 

Liquid-Liquid Extraction: MT AutoChem ALLEXis

Dr. Shankar Manyem and Ms. Tatiana Odintsova use the MT AutoChem ALLEXis to perform automated liquid-liquid extractions.

For additional information, please visit www.mt.com/autochem

 

 

 

Automated Liquid Handling: MT AutoChem MiniMapper

Ms. Cady Bush assists Mr. David Hill as they program the MT Autochem MiniMapper to perform liquid-handling for the MiniBlock XT.

For additional information, please visit www.mt.com/autochem

 

 

Liquid Handling: Gilson 215

Mr. David Hill uses the Gilson 215 liquid-handler to transfer stock solutions of Center compounds in vials into 96-well microtiter plates for Center biological outreach partners.

For additional information, please visit www.gilson.com