A significant challenge in chemistry is to rationally reproduce the functional potency of a protein in a small molecule, which is cheaper to manufacture, non-immunogenic, and also both stable and bioavailable. Synthetic peptides corresponding to small bioactive protein surfaces do not form stable structures in water and do not exhibit the functional potencies of proteins. Here we describe a novel approach to growing small molecules with protein-like potencies from a functionally important amino acid of a protein. A 77-residue human inflammatory protein (complement C3a) important in innate immunity is rationally transformed to equipotent small molecules, using peptide surrogates that incorporate a turninducing heterocycle with correctly positioned hydrogen-bond-accepting atoms. Small molecule agonists (molecular weight o500 Da) examined for receptor affinity and cellular responses have the same high potencies, functional profile and specificity of action as C3a protein, but greater plasma stability and bioavailability.

The enantioselective total synthesis of the limonoids khayasin, proceranolide and mexicanolide was achieved via a convergent strategy utilizing a tactic aimed at incorporating natural products as advanced intermediates. This extended biomimetically inspired approach additionally achieved the enantioselective total synthesis of the intermediates azedaralide and cipadonoid B.

The tetranortriterpene cipadonoid B was efficiently constructed from synthetic azedaralide in a one-pot cascade, via the underutilised ketal-Claisen rearrangement.

A simple and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of two anthranilamide-based non-peptide mimetics of ω-conotoxin GVIA. These anthranilamide derivatives aim to mimic the K2, R17, and Y13 residues of the peptide. The synthetic route described enables the rapid synthesis of anthranilamide analogues with identical alkyl chain lengths. The target compounds show affinity to rat N-type voltage gated calcium channels (Cav2.2) with EC50 values of 42 and 75 μM.

Traditionally, cyclic enones and formalin are reactants notorious for displaying problematic behaviour (i.e., poor solubility and low yields) under Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction conditions. The body of research presented herein focuses on the use of surfactants in water as a solvent medium that offers a resolution to many of the issues associated with the MBH reaction. Reaction scope, scalability and small angle X-ray scattering have been studied to assist with the understanding of the reaction mechanism and industrial application. A comparison against known literature methods for reaction scale-up is also discussed.