Molecular Self-Assembly & Drug Discovery

Our ranges of self-assembling metallohelices (variously helicates, flexicates, triplexes etc.) are usually based on iron as a structural template. They are uniquely suited to applications in the biomedical arena, being optically pure, water-soluble and stable, and capable of supporting great functional and structural diversity. We work in cancer, antimicrobials and Alzheimer disease using the underlying hypothesis that our compounds behave like natural cationic host-defence peptides.Collaborators include Viktor Brabec (biophysics), Roger Phillips (cancer pharmacology), David Roper (antimicrobials), Nick Waterfield (microbiology), Lawrence Young.

Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 9708-9720 • Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 8547 - 8557 • Angew. Chemie. Int. Ed., 2019, 57, 15723-15727 • Science Adv., 2018, 4(1) • J. Am. Chem. Soc, 2017, 139, 9835-9838 • Chem. Sci., 2016, 7, 951–958 • Nature Chem. 2014, 6, 797-803 • J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 11655-11663 • Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 4407-4416 • Nature Chem., 2012, 4, 31–36

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Polymer materials

We develop new mechanisms for the synthesis of polyolefin and polar polymers through coordination and radical methods, with a particular focus on amphipathic materials. This work involves strong collaboration with industry and collaborators include various scientists at our spin-out company Interface Polymers and Infineum where Pete hold a Royal Society Industry Fellowship.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 13921-13934 • Review: Dalton Trans., 2019, 48, 3521-3530 • Macromolecules 2011, 44, 1393–1404 • J. Polym. Sci. 2009, 47, 3111-7 • Dalton Trans., 2008, 6883-5.

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Enantioselective catalysis

In this earlier research we created new ways of generating chiral-at-metal architectures; an area which led to our work on asymmetric self-assembly (see above). We developed catalysts for highly enantioselective hydroamination, aziridination and cyclopropanation.

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 15308-20 • Chem. Comm., 2004, 893 • J. Org. Chem., 2002, 67, 3450 • Chem. Comm., 2001, 1638 • J. Am. Chem Soc., 2000, 122, 7132 • Organometallics 2008, 27, 2706-14 • Chem. Comm., 2003, 1770

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Molecular Materials

We developed new chiral magnetic and conducting materials.

Organometallics, 2015, 34, 2543–2549 • Chem.Comm., 2011, 47, 12646 - 12648 • Inorg. Chem. 2011, 50, 5925–5935 • Inorg. Chem. 2011, 50, 4039–4046.

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Lanthanide and actinide chemistry

In this earlier contribution we discovered through ligand design some new phenomena in f-element chemistry.

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1999, 121, 11255 • J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1998, 120, 1070 • The f Elements (text book)

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