Medicinal Chemistry

By Kim North Shine, Michigan News Service.
With a big assist from artificial intelligence and a heavy dose of human touch, Tim Cernak‘s lab at the University of Michigan made a discovery that dramatically speeds up the time-consuming chemical process of building molecules that will be tomorrow’s medicines, agrichemicals or materials.
The discovery, published in the Feb. […]

By Laura Bailey, Michigan News Service
Researchers can invent and test millions of molecules quickly, but to develop successful new drugs, agrochemicals and other futuristic materials, they must first synthesize the molecules—and outcomes are a gamble.
To solve this problem, Timothy Cernak’s laboratory at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy was awarded $3 million by Schmidt […]

Leroy B. Townsend, Albert B. Prescott Emeritus of Medicinal Chemistry and professor emeritus of chemistry, died on October 15, 2022.
Born on December 20, 1933, Leroy was raised in Bronco, Texas. Early on he showed a love of education and graduated High School at just 16 years old. He spent his youth working on the family […]

Mustapha Beleh, PhD, Director of Education and Collegiate Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry, has been named the 32nd Golden Apple Award recipient. The award recognizes outstanding teaching and is the University’s only teaching award bestowed by students. 
Recipients are invited to give the lecture they would want to give if it were the last one of their […]

Written By: Emily Kagey, Life Sciences Institute
An international team of researchers has developed a method for altering one class of antibiotics, using microscopic organisms that produce these compounds naturally. 
The findings, published July 25 in Nature Chemistry, could lead to more efficient production of antibiotics that are effective against drug-resistant bacteria.
The team started with a microorganism […]

Babak (Bo) Mahjour, fourth-year medicinal chemistry PhD candidate, has been awarded the 2022-2023 American Chemical Society Division of Medicinal Chemistry Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. Bo earns a two-year stipend and the opportunity to present his research at the 2022 American Chemical Society National Meeting, Gordon Research Conference, and Gordon Research Seminar.  
Bo studied chemical engineering and computer science as […]

With the 2020 Advance to Candidacy ceremony postponed, the College recognized both those who earned candidacy in 2020 and 2021 in a joint ceremony. Thirty-seven students from the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Chemistry, and Clinical Pharmacy departments were celebrated for their academic achievement.
Reaching candidacy is an important milestone and accomplishment, signifying that a student has completed […]

On February 12, 2022, the College of Pharmacy hosted Research Forum, our yearly exposition of student and postdoctoral fellow-led research. Held both remotely and in person, the event included virtual platform presentations, an alumni networking and panel discussion, and poster presentation exhibition. 
Dean Vicki Ellingrod hosted the morning’s virtual session, welcoming those in attendance and introducing […]

By Laura Bailey, 
Michigan News Service 
Medicines come from chemical reactions, and better chemical reactions lead to better medicines.
Yet, the most popular reaction used in drug discovery, called the amide coupling, makes an inherently unstable amide bond. Because the body excels at metabolizing medication, one of the most important and difficult goals of drug research is to […]

Mustapha Beleh, PhD, Director of Education and Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry, has been honored for outstanding contributions to instruction as a 2021-22 Collegiate Lecturer, a title he will retain throughout his career at the University.
The University of Michigan selects up to four Collegiate Lecturers each year for exemplary and outstanding commitments to community engagement and […]