Professor Steve Ley CBE FRS FMedSci | Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

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

The clerodane ring system: investigating the viability of a direct Diels–Alder approach

AT Merritt, RH Pouwer, DJ Williams, CM Williams, SV Ley

Organic & biomolecular chemistry

(2011)

9

4745

(doi: 10.1039/c1ob05422h)

Synthesis of a drug-like focused library of trisubstituted pyrrolidines using integrated flow chemistry and batch methods.

M Baumann, IR Baxendale, C Kuratli, SV Ley, RE Martin, J Schneider

ACS Combinatorial Science

(2011)

13

405

(doi: 10.1021/co2000357)

A breakthrough method for the accurate addition of reagents in multi-step segmented flow processing

H Lange, CF Carter, MD Hopkin, A Burke, JG Goode, IR Baxendale, SV Ley

Chemical Science

(2011)

2

765

(doi: 10.1039/c0sc00603c)

Retinoic acid receptor signaling regulates choroid fissure closure through independent mechanisms in the ventral optic cup and periocular mesenchyme

G Lupo, G Gestri, M O'Brien, RM Denton, RAS Chandraratna, SV Ley, WA Harris, SW Wilson

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

(2011)

108

8698

(doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103802108)

An overview of the key routes to the best selling 5-membered ring heterocyclic pharmaceuticals.

M Baumann, IR Baxendale, SV Ley, N Nikbin

Beilstein J Org Chem

(2011)

7

442

(doi: 10.3762/bjoc.7.57)

Azadirachtin: structural requirements for reducing growth and increasing mortality in lepidopterous larvae

MSJ Simmonds, WM Blaney, SV Ley, JC Anderson, PL Toogood

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

(2011)

55

169

(doi: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.1990.tb01360.x)

Insect antifeedants: a behavioural and electrophysiological investigation of natural and synthetically derived clerodane diterpenoids

WM Blaney, MSJ Simmonds, SV Ley, PS Jones

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

(2011)

46

267

(doi: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.1988.tb01121.x)

Antifeedant effects of azadirachtin and structurally related compounds on lepidopterous larvae

WM Blaney, MSJ Simmonds, SV Ley, JC Anderson, PL Toogood

Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata

(2011)

55

149

(doi: 10.1111/j.1570-7458.1990.tb01358.x)

Lesser-known enabling technologies for organic synthesis

M O'Brien, R Denton, SV Ley

Synthesis

(2011)

1157

(doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1259979)

In-line monitoring for the accurate control of segmented flow processes

CF Carter, SV Ley

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

(2011)

241