Research from the laboratory of organic synthesis at CRI involves directly with finding solutions to important public health issues in Thailand. For example, the laboratory is interested in synthesizing compounds with anti-HIV activity such as Nevirapine and its derivatives, and oxygen heterocycles such as wrighthiadione and coumestan which are natural products isolated from Wrighthia tomentosa. The laboratory is also studying other heterocyclic compounds which possess inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme which is responsible for the Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, several anti-cancer compounds are being synthesized and structurally modified in the laboratory for anti-cancer and cytotoxicity testing which is conducted by a different research unit at CRI. We are additionally interested in infectious diseases especially relating to the immune response and drug-resistance and we have started developing compounds which can mitigate the microbes. The compounds which we study are both synthetic and structurally-modified natural products.

   In term of new reaction development, the laboratory is interested in the chemistry of organometallic reagents and the use of these reagents in organic synthesis, especially in catalysis of reaction with high selectivity. In addition, the reactivity of hypervalent iodine compounds and the use of microwave to improve yields of desired products and to reduce the reaction time in the reactions with organic metallic reagents, as a part of “green chemistry” concept, are also actively studied.

   Infectious disease is a ubiquitous health hazard worldwide, particularly in tropical countries including Thailand. The problems increase dramatically due to immunodeficiency diseases and drug resistance. Therefore, recently we are applying our expertise in synthetic chemistry to develop new antimicrobial agents. Our lead compounds derive from both efficient synthetic routes and structural modifications of natural product compounds. We have established an antimicrobial testing unit, with the aim of not only evaluating our compounds but also for purposes of collaboration. For compounds with potent activity, detailed mechanistic studies will be undertaken.