Research summary
Nucleophilic functional groups—such as alcohols, amines and carboxylic acids—have electron-rich atoms that can donate electron pairs to form new covalent bonds. As Canada Research Chair in Boron Chemistry for Catalysis and Drug Discovery, Dr. Dennis Hall is studying both the catalytic activation of these groups and the scarcity of compound classes in drug discovery.
By exploiting the unique properties of hemiboronic heterocycles as exchangeable boron compounds, Hall and his research team are designing catalysts that can enable transformations in drug chemistry. He and his team are also evaluating the use of these catalysts in the development of chemotypes for drugs that can treat infective diseases. Ultimately, they aim to design both catalysts that are suitable for global commercialization and bioactive compounds that can be developed into drug candidates.