Our Plenary Speakers
Prof. Tianning Diao
Invited Talk: Leveraging One- and Two-Electron Mechanisms in Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling
While palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions have revolutionized the construction of multi-aryl scaffolds in pharmaceutical synthesis, the reactivity of nickel in mediating radical pathways has expanded the scope of cross-coupling to include a variety of alkyl motifs. Through mechanistic investigations and understanding the ligand effects, we have established that strong s-donor and p-acceptor ligands exhibit redox-activity, facilitating nickel catalysts to initiate radical formation, capture radicals, and direct bond formation from open-shell intermediates. The orthogonal reactivity of radicals with polar functional groups in biomolecules has opened new avenues for synthesizing non-canonical peptides and carbohydrates, which are important for drug discovery. In contrast, two-electron pathways are crucial for nickel-catalyzed bi-aryl coupling. Building on this insight, we have developed a novel ligand that enhances the reactivity of nickel-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura couplings, paving the way for the application of nickel catalysts in pharmaceutical process synthesis.
Biography
Tianning Diao is a Professor of Chemistry at New York University (NYU). She received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2012, followed by postdoctoral research at Princeton University from 2012 to 2014. Since her appointment at NYU in 2014, Diao's research has been focused on understanding the mechanisms of nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and developing new methodologies to address challenges in organic synthesis and sustainable energy conversion. Her work has advanced understanding of radical initiation, propagation, and bond formation processes mediated by nickel catalysts. Furthermore, her insights into ligand effects have inspired the design of new ligands that facilitate nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. More recently, she has applied these methods to the modification of biomolecules. Diao is the recipient of multiple awards, including the NSF-CAREER award (2016), Sloan Research Fellowship (2018), Chinese-American Chemistry Professors Association Distinguished Junior Faculty Award (2018), Organometallics Distinguished Author Award (2018), Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2019), and the Cope Scholar Award (2023).
Prof. Hans Renata
Invited Talk: Combining Synthetic Chemistry and Biology for Streamlining Access to Complex Molecules
By virtue of their unrivaled selectivity profiles, enzymes possess remarkable potential to address unsolved challenges in chemical synthesis. The realization of this potential, however, has only recently gained traction. Recent advances in enzyme engineering and genome mining have provided a powerful platform for identifying and optimizing enzymatic transformations for synthetic applications and allowed us to begin formulating novel synthetic strategies and disconnections. This talk will describe our recent efforts in developing a new design language in chemical synthesis that centers on the incorporation of biocatalytic approaches in contemporary synthetic logic. Case studies will focus on the use of this platform in the chemoenzymatic syntheses of complex natural products and also highlight how this platform could serve as a starting point to enable further biological and medicinal chemistry discoveries.
Biography
Hans Renata was born in Surabaya, Indonesia. After completing his high school education in Singapore, he moved to the US and received his B.A. degree from Columbia University in 2008, conducting research under the tutelage of Professor Tristan H. Lambert. He earned his Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute in 2013 under the guidance of Professor Phil S. Baran. After postdoctoral studies with Professor Frances H. Arnold at the California Institute of Technology, he started his independent career at The Scripps Research Institute in 2016. His research focuses on the development of new biocatalytic methods and chemoenzymatic strategies to prepare complex, bioactive molecules. For these efforts, he has received several notable awards, such as the NSF CAREER award, the Sloan fellowship, the Chemical and Engineering News “Talented 12” and the Arthur C. Cope Scholar award. In July 2022, he took a position at Rice University as a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) scholar.
Dr. Rebecca Green
Invited Talk: Aminoquinoline Synthesis and Process Development Enabled by Non-Aqueous Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction
This talk will present the strategic bond disconnections of an aminoquinoline NLRP3 Agonist to enable a convergent synthesis. In addition to the overall synthetic route design, the process development of several key steps will be presented with a focus on process robustness, simplicity, and sustainability to provide high quality drug substance to enable clinical studies.
Biography
Rebecca Green completed her B.Sc. at McGill University in 2011 in her hometown of Montréal, Canada. She then moved to California to pursue her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. During her graduate studies, working in the lab of Professor John F. Hartwig, she focused on Ni (and some Pd) catalyzed C-N coupling reactions with a particular interest in mechanistic studies. After graduating in 2016, Rebecca moved to New Brunswick, NJ, and joined the process chemistry group at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she is currently a Senior Principal Scientist. While at BMS, Rebecca continues to follow her passion for transition-metal catalysis and mechanistic studies in process chemistry. She currently leads project teams with a focus on safe, robust, and sustainable process development.