Professor Steve Ley CBE FRS FMedSci

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

Sexual development of malaria parasites is inhibited in vitro by the neem extract azadirachtin, and its semi-synthetic analogues.

IW Jones, AA Denholm, SV Ley, H Lovell, A Wood, RE Sinden

FEMS Microbiol Lett

(2006)

120

267

(doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1994.tb07044.x)

Diastereoselective aldol reactions with butane-2,3-diacetal protected glyceraldehyde derivatives (vol 4, pg 1471, 2006)

KR Knudsen, AF Stepan, P Michel, SV Ley

ORG BIOMOL CHEM

(2006)

1612

Asymmetric organocatalytic conjugate addition of malonates to enones using a proline tetrazole catalyst.

KR Knudsen, CET Mitchell, SV Ley

Chemical Communications

(2005)

(doi: 10.1039/b514636d)

Defects in signal transduction caused by a T cell receptor β chain substitution

TA Reno, S Ley, E Sugiyama, A Cantagrel, R Blumberg, J Bonventre, C Terhorst, ET Yeh

Eur J Immunol

(2005)

1417

(doi: 10.1002/eji.1830200702)

Michael, Michael-aldol and Michael-Michael reactions of enolate equivalents of butane-2,3-diacetal protected glycolic acid derivatives.

SV Ley, DJ Dixon, RT Guy, F Rodríguez, TD Sheppard

Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry

(2005)

4095

(doi: 10.1039/b512410g)

Evolution or Revolution: The Challenge to the Modern Medicinal Chemist

IR Baxendale, SV Ley

(2005)

Total synthesis of two novel subpicomolar sarco/endoplasmatic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors designed by an analysis of the binding site of thapsigargin.

H Søhoel, T Liljefors, SV Ley, SF Oliver, A Antonello, MD Smith, CE Olsen, JT Isaacs, SB Christensen

Journal of medicinal chemistry

(2005)

7005

(doi: 10.1021/jm058036v)