Research Group Natural Product Synthesis

headed by Prof. Dr. Philipp Heretsch

Natural Product Synthesis and Convergent Technologies

Nature accesses natural products biosynthetically with a rather small armament of transformations.

In our research, we strive for a synthetic approach combining notions of biogenesis and innate reactivity to synthesize the structural diversity of natural products and shed light on their biogenetic origin.

Natural Product Synthesis and Convergent Technologies

Nature accesses natural products biosynthetically with a rather small armament of transformations.

In our research, we strive for a synthetic approach combining notions of biogenesis and innate reactivity to synthesize the structural diversity of natural products and shed light on their biogenetic origin.

Chances and challenges

Enzymatically orchestrated cation polyene cyclization and rearrangement cascades in the biogenesis of terpenes and steroids are exceptional examples for nature’s ability to convert simple precursors into elaborated polycyclic frameworks. Learning from nature by mimicking these transformations can inspire efficient syntheses. In most cases, though, validated intermediates and enzymes are unknown, and biogenesis proposals are only speculations.
Development of robust and selective routes to access “drugable” natural products modulating the immune system, targeting cancer, and combating pathogens can so provide material for collaborative efforts.

Bringing together technology and synthesis is an important part of our work. We design and build novel reactors to enable and facilitate synthetic operations for environmentally and economically more sustainable approaches towards complex molecular entities and to handle highly reactive and short-lived intermediates.

Natural product synthesis

Currently, our synthetic targets are abeo-steroids, triterpenoids, and alkaloids. Find some natural products we have recently synthesized:

  • strophasterol A
  • aspidodispermine
  • pleurocin A/matsutakone
  • dankasterone B
  • periconiastone A
  • swinhoeisterol A

Flow technology

Our design and development programme focuses on novel continuous flow technology and its application in the synthesis of natural products and biologically relevant molecules. Development of new reactors, along with suitable reactions, and an understanding of their optimization potential is the basis for these endeavors.

Head of the group

Prof. Dr. Philipp Heretsch
Address
Schneiderberg 1B
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
140
Prof. Dr. Philipp Heretsch
Address
Schneiderberg 1B
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
140