A significant challenge for researchers in materials science and drug discovery is that even the most minor change to a molecule\u2019s structure can completely alter its function. Historically, making these adjustments meant researchers had to re-synthesize the target molecule from scratch \u2014 a time-consuming and expensive bottleneck akin to tearing down a house just to move a lamp.<\/p>\n
In an exciting discovery recently published in Nature<\/a>, MIT chemists led by Professor Alison Wendlandt<\/a> have developed a precision technique that allows scientists to seamlessly relocate alcohol functional groups from one spot on a molecule to a neighboring site. This process bypasses the need to rebuild the entire structure and is the result of a multi-year collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb.<\/p>\n Functional group repositioning<\/p>\n Using a special light-sensitive molecule called decatungstate as a catalyst, the reaction triggers a highly controlled \u201cmigration\u201d of the alcohol group. The process is remarkably predictable, ensuring the molecule retains its precise 3D shape and orientation throughout the move.<\/p>\n The ability to implement subtle structural tweaks without the waste of \u201cfrom-scratch\u201d synthesis eliminates a primary hurdle that has long plagued the field. Furthermore, because the reaction is gentle enough to work on complex, nearly finished structures, it serves as a powerful fine-tuning tool for late-stage drug candidates.<\/p>\n Precision editing to unlock new chemical designs<\/p>\n When combined with existing chemical methods, this tool provides new pathways to create challenging molecular architectures and oxygenation patterns that were previously out of reach.<\/p>\n \u201cThis alcohol migration strategy allows for precise, molecular-level tuning of oxygen atom positions,\u201d says Qian Xu, the co-first author of the paper and a postdoc in the Wendlandt Group. \u201cWith predictable stereo- and regioselectivity and late-stage operability, it presents an enticing chance to modify natural products and drug molecules through \u2018editing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, this precision editing tool holds the potential to dramatically improve the efficiency of molecular design campaigns, accelerating the development of new pharmaceuticals, materials, and agrochemicals.<\/p>\n In addition to Wendlandt and Xu, MIT contributors include co-lead author and graduate student Yichen Nie, recent postdoc Ronghua Zhang, and professor of chemistry Jeremiah A. Johnson. Other authors include Jacob-Jan Haaksma of the University of Groningen in The Netherlands; Natalie Holmberg-Douglas, Farid van der Mei, and Chloe Williams of of Bristol Myers Squibb; and Paul M. Scola of Actithera.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A significant challenge for researchers in materials science and drug discovery is that even the most minor change…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[181880,181882,85,46,181881,181879,89432,181883,141],"class_list":["post-379899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-alcohol-functional-groups","tag-alison-wendlandt","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-late-stage-drug-candidates","tag-mit-chemistry-department","tag-organic-chemistry","tag-qian-xu","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}