Suitably qualified and highly motivated candidates are invited to apply for a self-funded 3.5-year PhD studentship in the group of Dr. Anna Wu (co-supervised by Dr. Klaus Pors and Dr. Goreti Morais) at University of Bradford in the area of organic chemistry synthesis and chemical biology.
Tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) alkaloids, benzo-nitrogen-containing bicycles or tricycles, appeared as a class of anti-tumour antibiotics with the discovery of naphthyridomycin in 1974 by Kluepfel.[1] To date more than 60 compounds within this family have been isolated and biologically evaluated and possess both anti-microbial and anti-tumour activity. We have previously developed a ruthenium-catalysed [2+2+2] cyclotrimerisation of a pyrrolidinone dialkyne with a monoalkyne to construct 2,3-functionalised THIQ derivatives.[2] In vitro screening illustrates these THIQ show inhibitory effect against AKR1C3 and AKR1C2 – enzymes that are known to link with prostate cancer cell proliferation. The PhD project will be focused on improving both chemoselectivity and catalysis to expand THIQ libraries and access new analogues for biological evaluation.
Training
The student will receive in-depth training in a wide range of synthetic organic, medicinal and biological chemistry (anti-tumour activity evaluation), and a diverse array of analytical techniques including NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, IR spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy.
The ideal candidate will hold (or expect to be awarded) a 1st Class or an Upper 2nd Class MSc, MChem or BSc degree and will have significant experience in practical synthetic organic chemistry. The student will be required to undertake complex multistep organic synthesis involving air- and / or moisture-sensitive reagents and unstable synthetic intermediates, and will be expected to possess excellent laboratory skills, good problem-solving abilities and the ability to obtain and interpret spectroscopic data.
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