Project: Conjugates of Ferrocene Carboxylic Acid for Medicinal Applications
Research group: Organometallic chemistry
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Deadline is closed
Project summary:
Ferrocene derivatives have found numerous applications in catalysis, material science, polymer chemistry, or biochemistry.1 Additionally, its non-toxic and lipophilic nature makes it a compelling choice for conjugation with bioactive pharmacophores.2 The presence of the ferrocene backbone influences the biological activities of target molecules and might also endow them with specific modes of action. The most prominent derivatives, ferroquine and ferrocifen, have been studied extensively for the treatment of malaria and cancer. This project will aim at the development of new strategies for the incorporation of the ferrocene backbone into known drugs or drug candidates. This will involve the synthesis of target molecules and their detailed structural characterization through a combination of standard (e.g., spectroscopic) and advanced methods (e.g., computational and electrochemical), as well as their biological evaluation in collaboration with a research group abroad. The research will build upon the ongoing research in our group and will develop toward new directions.
References:
[1] P. Štěpnička (Ed.), Ferrocenes: Ligands, Materials and Biomolecules, Wiley, 2008. [2] M. Patra, G. Gasser, Nat. Rev. Chem. 2017, 1, 0066.
Expected/required skills: Background in organometallic and coordination chemistry. Basic knowledge of standard experimental techniques such as NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction analysis.
