Department of Chemistry

Our research interests originate from a desire to understand and exploit biological systems using organic synthesis primarily. Listed below are areas of research that we are exploring; for more detailed information visit the Spring Group web pages.

• Diversity-Oriented Synthesis
• Synthetic Methodology: Medium Ring Synthesis and Natural Product Synthesis
• Quorum Sensing
• New Antibiotic Discovery
• Modulation of Protein-Protein Interactions
• Molecular Therapeutics: Chemistry-Driven Drug Discovery

We collaborate with many chemical companies and academic groups around the world. The scientific education of group members in organic synthesis is given a high priority; however, they are encouraged also to learn and perform new techniques relating to their projects with our industrial and academic collaborators. Every effort is made so that group members achieve their career ambitions, usually jobs in academia or the chemical industries.

Selected Publications

For our most recent publications please visit the Spring Group publication page.

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Macrocyclic Peptidomimetics. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2011, 108, 6793-6798.
Better leads come from diversity. Nature 2011, 470, 43.
Novel and Efficient Copper-Catalysed Synthesis of Nitrogen-Linked Medium-Ring Biaryls. Chem. Eur. J. 2011, 17, 2981-2986.
Chemical Genetics. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2011, 40, 4332-4345.
Diversity-oriented synthesis as a tool for the discovery of novel biologically functional small molecules. Nature Commun. 2010, 1, 80.
Zn²⁺-Triggered Amide Tautomerization Produces a Highly Zn²⁺-Selective, Cell-Permeable and Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor. JACS 2010, 132, 601-610.
Diversity-oriented synthesis of bicyclic and tricyclic alkaloids. Chem. Commun. 2010, 46, 776-778.
The molecular basis of the host response to lipopolysaccharide. Nature Rev. Microbio. 2010, 8, 8-14.
3D small-molecule microarrays. Chem. Commun. 2009, 7107-7109.
Mastering the Chemical Language of Bacteria. Chem. Biol. 2009, 16, 913-914.
The discovery of antibacterial agents using diversity oriented synthesis. Chem. Commun. 2009, 2446-2462.
Synthesis of Unprecedented Scaffold Diversity. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 1194-1196.
Towards quorum-quenching catalytic antibodies. Chem. Commun. 2009, 538-540.
Total Synthesis of Sanguiin H-5. Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 2593-2596.
Anti-MRSA Agent Discovery Using Diversity-Oriented Synthesis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 2808-2812.