Drug Design and Analysis
The research within this team covers a wide range of topics, and two subunits exist - Drug Design (incorporating organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, molecular modelling, and phytochemistry) and Analysis. In organic chemistry, the main research areas include the investigation of the reactivity of dipolar intermediates, chemoselectivity in the reactions of polysubstituted pyrroles (EPSRC CASE award with High Force Research Ltd.), the synthesis of; cysteamine prodrugs (Cystinosis Foundation UK), chromogenic and fluorogenic compounds for the rapid detection of bacterial pathogens (BioMerieux), novel agents for the treatment of psoriasis (Stiefel UK), and novel cognition enhancing agents (Servier). Other recent research areas include the study of magnetic nanoparticle synthesis for intravascular malformation treatment and steroid chemistry, and the isolation and synthesis of marine natural products. Research collaborations have been established with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Strathclyde University and the Chemistry Department at Durham University. These are 5/5* rated departments and these collaborations help to enhance research quality through external peer review of activities and joint publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals. Strong international collaborations are a feature of the research in this team, with long-standing links with the Technical University of Budapest, the Urals State University and MIP Technologies AB, Lund, Sweden.
In the analytical area, methods for the detection of pharmaceuticals are developed, which include chromatographic, phase separation, and ELISA techniques. Strong research links have been established with Sunderland City Hospital on a project funded by the Centre for Excellence in Life Sciences, which aims to determine urinary biomarkers for prostate cancer. Other projects which aim to detect novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases include those involving autism and chronic fatigue syndrome. Another key research area is the identification of the active principle of traditional Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine (Stiefel and exchange visits of PhD students from Gulbarga University, India). Links with the National Institute of Health in the United States of America have also been established making this area one of high quality and international distinction.
Due to the need for analytical methods in most teams of the academic area the analytical sciences group is involved in a number of collaborative projects across teams and there is also strong collaboration with Analytical Nanotechnologies Ltd., a spin-out company has specialised in the development of analytical methods for the use in forensic sciences, especially the detection of fingerprints using nanoparticles (see New Scientist, 8th November 2003). This collaboration resulted in a major grant for the team (European Regional Development Fund, £190,000). The Drug Design and Analysis team benefits from ongoing joint research with Emeritus Professor Otto Meth-Cohn, who is one of the leading heterocyclic chemists in the World.
Within this area
