Synthetic & Medicinal Chemistry

The function of everything around us, from the mundane to the spectacular, is governed by molecules, their structure, and the ways in which they interact with each other. Understanding this interplay is at the heart of synthetic and medicinal chemistry research, where we design molecules to perform a specific function. From new drugs and natural product derivatives for treating challenging diseases, to new materials for high technology, sustainability and energy conversion applications, and the understanding and invention of new chemical reactions and catalytic processes. This theme brings together diverse and complementary experts to approach topical modern-day challenges - molecule-by-molecule. The research is made possible by state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure and instrumentation; indeed, elements of our research contribute directly to advancing the applications of modern spectroscopy. Our work is supported by state-of-the-art equipment either within our laboratories or managed by the Faculty of Science Platforms.

Our research includes:

Chemical & synthetic biology: Protein and peptide engineering for therapeutics and diagnostics; Carbohydrate (bio)chemistry and biotechnology, Plant-inspired biosynthesis; Biocatalysis and enzymology; Biomolecular recognition; Stable isotope-enabled chemical biology; Light activated biomolecules.
Organic, inorganic, and supramolecular materials: Exotic functional aromatic systems; Advanced photonic and optoelectronic materials; Assembly driven synthesis; Deep eutectic systems structure and applications; Spectroscopic characterisation of molecular materials.
Natural products discovery & synthesis: Advanced spectroscopy for structural elucidation; Discovery of glycopeptide-based therapeutics; Polysulfide and thiol redox cofactors; Bioinspired synthesis; Marine and microbial natural products.
Synthesis methodology and catalysis: Asymmetric, heterocyclic, and ligand synthesis; Stable isotopes; Organometallic synthesis and catalysis; Sustainable earth-abundant organometallic catalysts and materials.
Medicinal chemistry: Drug discovery; Development of (bio)molecules targeting protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions; Protein and DNA targets; Antimicrobials; Cancer and anti-inflammatory therapeutics; Crop pathogens.

Molecular structure model with a purple compound fitting into a white, cloud-like surface, representing a molecular interaction.

Illustration of (P)-Calix[4]arene and (M)-Calix[4]arene structures with color-coded chemical groups and mirror symmetry.

Left: Predicted binding of an inhibitor of plant-pathogen protein interactions. Right: pro-chiral and inherent chiral calix[4]arenes

Members

Professor Andy Cammidge (lead) New synthetic and catalytic methods, organic materials synthesis, supramolecular chemistry and molecular assemblies
Dr Andrew Beekman Protein-protein, protein-RNA and protein-DNA interactions, non-native peptide design and synthesis, small molecule and natural product synthesis
Dr Sean Bew Stable isotope chemistry, chiral organocatalysis, chiral organoBrønsted acid catalysis, halogen bonding, natural product synthesis, TRIED and hyperpolarized NMR
Dr Ignacio Delso Molecular recognition in biomolecular complexes, eutectic systems using NMR spectroscopy, molecular modelling
Dr Amr El-Demerdash Natural products discovery and bioinspired synthesis, small molecule medicinal chemistry, biocatalysis
Professor Rob Field Carbohydrates, chemical and enzymatic synthesis, drug discovery and medical diagnostics, functional foods and industrial biotechnology
Dr Chris Hamilton Polysufides and redox chemistry, biopesticides
Dr Amit Sachdeva Protein engineering, Light-responsive antibodies
Professor Mark Searcey Targeting DNA and protein-protein interactions for inflammation and cancer
Dr Michael Stephenson Plant-derived chemistry, bioinspired catalysis, exploring and manipulating biosynthesis
Dr Joseph Wright Small molecule activation, organometallic synthesis, energy materials and electrochemistry

Selected Publications

Hydrogen radical chemistry at high-symmetry {2Fe2S} centers probed using a muonium surrogate. Joseph A. Wright, Farhana Haque, Leandro Liborio, Stephen P. Cottrell Inorganic Chemistry 64:5053-58 (2025).
A family of symmetrical and unsymmetrical aza-dipyrromethenes and aza-BODIPYs with through-bond and face-to-face p‐-interaction between termini. Budur N. Alanazi, Ahad O. Alsahli, Sonia Remiro-Buenamañana, Alejandro Díaz-Moscoso, Faeza H. Alkorbi, Norah A. Alsaiari, Conor Marrett-Munro, Isabelle Chambrier, David L. Hughes, Simon J. Coles, Graham J. Tizzard, Andrew Neil Cammidge. Chemistry 31:e202501862 (2025).
Investigating the structure-activity relationship of laulimalides marine macrolides as promising inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 main Protease (Mpro). Alaa M. Elgohary, Abdo A. Elfiky, Florbela Pereira, Mariam I. Gamal El-Din, Mohamed A. Tammam, Adnane Aouidate, Amr El-Demerdash Journal of Computational Biophysics and Chemistry 24:403-419 (2024).
Light-activated azobenzene peptide inhibitor of the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. Deanne Hayward, Zoë R. Goddard, Marco M. D. Cominetti, Mark Searcey, Andrew M. Beekman. Chemical Communications 60:8228-31 (2024).
Site-specific encoding of photoactivity and photoreactivity into antibody fragments. Thomas Bridge, Udo Wegmann, Jason C. Crack, Kate Orman, Saher A. Shaikh, William Farndon, Carlo Martins, Gerhard Saalbach, Amit Sachdeva. Nature Chemical Biology 19:740-49 (2023).
Plants utilize a protection/deprotection strategy in limonoid biosynthesis: A “missing link” carboxylesterase boosts yields and provides insights into furan formation. Hodgson, H., Stephenson, M. J., Kikuchi, S., Martin, L. B. B., Liu, J. C. T., Casson, R., Rejzek, M., Sattely, E. S., & Osbourn, A. Journal of the American Chemical Society (2024), 146(43), 29305-29310.