Sintefarma

Our basic research is focused on the field of organic synthesis, and its goal is to develop general methods and strategies for the enantioselective synthesis of natural products, in particular alkaloids and bioactive nitrogen compounds. We are currently exploring the synthetic potential of aminoalcohol-derived lactams as chiral enantiomeric scaffolds for the total synthesis of complex alkaloids, mainly decahydroquinoline, indole, and oxindole alkaloids, of structural and/or biological interest. The target natural products are selected for the following reasons: i) they lack previously reported total syntheses, ii) they have important biological activities, or iii) to develop unified synthetic strategies from common scaffolds. The biological activity of the synthesized natural products and selected intermediates are evaluated to identify candidates for structure-activity relationship studies in the context of our collaborations with companies and other groups, in particular those involved in the COST Action “Challenging Organic Syntheses Inspired by Nature: from Natural Products Chemistry to Drug Discovery”.

The ultimate objective of our research is to generate scientific knowledge oriented towards finding solutions to problems identified in the “Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing” societal challenge included in the “Estrategia Española de Ciencia y Tecnología y de Innovación”.

Our experience in organic synthesis, particularly in the synthesis of bioactive compounds, allows us to tackle interdisciplinary research projects in the field of Biomedicine in collaboration with research groups from other areas and to participate in joint projects of technological innovation with chemical and pharmaceutical companies aimed at the synthesis of compounds with therapeutic interest.