Description of Research

We are interested in synthesizing medical agents that have anticancer and or antiviral properties.  Our current focus is on the synthesis of analogous of UK-1, a natural compound that has significant anticancer activity through the inhibition of an enzyme topoisomerase II.  The anticancer activity of UK-1 involves the binding of Mg2+.  Similarly diketoacids, an integrase inhibitor (currently in clinical trials) inactivates the strand transfer process by binding catalytic magnesium in the active site.  By employing a different magnesium binding moiety (that of UK-1) but having similar hydrophobic functions of diketoacids we hope to synthesize of compounds that may be possible topoisomerase II and HIV integrase inhibitors.