On September 19, Prof. K.C.Nicolaou from Rice University paid a visit to SIMM as Einstein Professorship of Chinese Academy of Sciences and delivered the lecture titled “Total Synthesis of Rare Natural and Designed Molecules of Biological and Medical Importance”.

Prof. Nicolaou presented the recent achievements from his research group on the retrosynthetic analysis of bioactive natural products, molecular construction strategy and synthetic routes of complex structures and their relevant biological activities, as well as the recent advances in drug discovery and development based on natural products. All the natural organic compounds without exception have complex stereochemistry, among which the most complicated one with 132chiral carbon atoms. The seminar attracted great attention from the professors and students of SIMM as well as the participants from universities and companies around with all the seats occupied.

After lecture,  Prof. Yang Ye, Deputy Director of SIMM, accompanied Prof. Nicolaou to visit the exhibition room and briefly introduced the development and achievement of SIMM since 1982 when Prof. Nicolaou visited SIMM last time.

Prof. Nicolaou is the member of the National Academy of Sciences, also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the foreign member of Athens Academy of Sciences. He was appointed as the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Chair of Chemistry in Rice University in 2012. His lab specializes in organic chemistry with a focus the synthesis of natural and designed molecules of biological and medical importance to cancer research.

(Source of news: YE Yang’s research group)