Director of Research
In the Ley Group, we specialise in developing new synthesis methods and applying them to the construction of biologically important molecules. Over the years we have completed the total synthesis of many natural products, including: spongistatin 1 (anti-mitotic agent); rapamycin (immunosuppressant); thapsigargin (SERCA pumps inhibitor); azadirachtin (insect antifeedant); and bengazole A (fungicide). In addition to our research on natural product synthesis, we also pioneered flow chemistry and machine assisted synthesis.
For more detailed research information and our publication list, please see our legacy group website.
Completed Natural Products

Publications
Back pressure regulation of slurry-forming reactions in continuous flow
Chemical Engineering and Technology
(2015)
38
259
(doi: 10.1002/ceat.201400445)
Chemistry in a changing world
Actualite Chimique
(2015)
96
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Tetrasubstituted Pyridines as Potent 5-HT2C Receptor Agonists
ACS medicinal chemistry letters
(2015)
6
329
(doi: 10.1021/ml500507v)
Flow Chemistry: Intelligent Processing of Gas-Liquid Transformations Using a Tube-in-Tube Reactor
Acc Chem Res
(2015)
48
349
(doi: 10.1021/ar500359m)
Boehmeriasin A as new lead compound for the inhibition of topoisomerases and SIRT2.
European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
(2015)
92
766
(doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.01.038)
Organic Synthesis: March of the Machines
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
(2015)
54
3449
(doi: 10.1002/anie.201410744)
Development of a flow method for the hydroboration/oxidation of olefins.
Organic & biomolecular chemistry
(2015)
13
3871
(doi: 10.1039/c5ob00170f)
A monolith immobilised iridium Cp☆ catalyst for hydrogen transfer reactions under flow conditions
Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
(2015)
13
1768
(doi: 10.1039/c4ob02376e)
Total syntheses of natural products containing spirocarbocycles
Organic & biomolecular chemistry
(2015)
13
9907
(doi: 10.1039/c5ob01524c)
The rapid synthesis of oxazolines and their heterogeneous oxidation to oxazoles under flow conditions.
Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
(2015)
13
207
(doi: 10.1039/c4ob02105c)
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