Paul R. Hanson

The major goal of our research program is the development of new synthetic methods for use in drug discovery and natural product synthesis. In particular, we have focused our attention on the utilization of transition metal-catalyzed methods as a means to produce new heterocycles containing sulfur and phosphorus (S- and P-heterocycles) that exhibit both biological and synthetic utility. Central to this goal is the development of phosphorus tethered processes in the synthesis of complex, biologically relevant natural products.

Another facet of our program is aimed at the development of immobilized reagents for use in drug discovery. We are currently employing ring-opening metathesis (ROM) polymerization to generate high-load oligomers with tuneable properties as tools for organic synthesis and library production. We have a long-standing interest in the establishing new chemical methods for library development.