About Us
We are located at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb.
The focus of our group is to explore new chemical space isolated from natural sources such as microorganisms and plants. Our journey usually starts with a molecule that has been isolated, structurally characterized and significant in vitro activity has been determined. We are especially interested in potential new antibiotics. After identifying new molecule we start retrosynthesis & synthesis of the target and revaluate activity on the synthetic sample. If there is significant activity we move on to the SAR studies and further biological testing. Even in early phase we consider scalability and aim to develop new methodologies to obtain easier access to bulk quantities of potential new drug candidates.
Our Mission
In addition to natural product research, we place great importance on the development of new chemical reactions and methodologies. Total synthesis is often where new reactions emerge, and when retrosynthetic approaches push the boundaries of known chemistry, we seek to forge new paths rather than stopping. Our research is driven by the desire to advance both chemical knowledge and practical synthesis techniques for drug discovery.
Blog
Rapid and Green Anion-Assisted Mechanochemical Peptide Cyclization
Mirko Duvnjak, Nikolina Vidović, Krunoslav Užarević, Gordan Horvat, Vladislav Tomišić, Giovanna Speranza and Nikola Cindro A novel mechanochemical approach is described for chloride-templated head-to-tail macrocyclization of a pentapeptide and a
