# The Synthesis of Bioactive Natural Products as a Driving Force for Discovery in Organic Chemistry

> **NIH NIH R35** · CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · 2023 · $585,977

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract:
 The objective of this research program is to discover and develop new reaction
methodology en route to the synthesis of complex bioactive molecules. Our proposed
studies will focus on the investigation and optimization of technologies that enable the
synthesis of core structural and stereochemical subunits prevalent in many bioactive,
polycyclic natural products. The processes that we develop will find utility in the
synthesis of a wide variety of structures for which there are currently no efficient
synthetic roadmaps. Importantly, the methods presented in this application will be
useful outside of the contexts described herein and will arm practitioners of synthetic
chemistry (in academic, government, and industrial laboratories) with a new set of
important tools to access enantioenriched and functionally diverse chemical building
blocks for synthesis.
 The research proposed in this grant application is focused on a) the development of
new stereoselective reactions that produce densely substituted building blocks for
synthesis, b) the development of transition metal catalyzed reactions for asymmetric
alkylation, acylation, and hydrogenation processes, c) the development of these novel
methods specifically for the preparation of building blocks containing all-carbon
quaternary stereocenters and arrays of stereocenters, and d) the implementation of these
new tactics in the syntheses of highly complex, bioactive natural products. These
molecules are not only important from a biological standpoint, they also serve as a
testing ground for our new technologies. As a consequence of this approach, we will
have access to a) novel, medicinally relevant structures, b) a general platform for their
synthesis, and c) new synthetic methodology that will impact a host of diverse
applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10596203
- **Project number:** 5R35GM145239-02
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- **Principal Investigator:** BRIAN M STOLTZ
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $585,977
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10596203

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10596203, The Synthesis of Bioactive Natural Products as a Driving Force for Discovery in Organic Chemistry (5R35GM145239-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10596203. Licensed CC0.

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