Details

Title of the project: Synthesis of Natural Products and Analogues by Directed C-H Activation and Unified Synthesis of Cicutoxin and Virol A via Electrocyclic Cyclobutene Ring Opening

Research topic of the student: The project dealt with total synthesis and modification of natural products with the potential to act as ion channel modulators. Thus, a first project was devoted to the preperation of Dehydroabietic acid derivatives by late-stage C-H activation of the natural product itself. Afterwards, a stereocontrolled total synthesis of polyunsaturated toxins was developed which culminated in a short route towards Virol A and Cicutoxin. Finally, a short and concise approach to the classical natural product Quinine was also accomplished, resulting in the preperation of several non-natural analogues with promising bioactivity.

Finishing Date: 06/2019

Publications with Supervisor: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

Research stays abroad: 01.01.2018-30.04.2018, Host: Dirk TRAUNER, Dept. of Chemistry, New York University, USA, Topic: „Synthesis of photoswitchable analogs of natural products“

Lab Rotation (2 weeks): Host: Margot Ernst, Dept. of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna. Subject: Expression of GABA-receptors in oocytes – measurement of potential allosteric modulators with voltage clamp technique; 2018

Place after graduation: PostDoc at University of Vienna, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Maulide group; since 10/2020 PostDoc in the group of Paolo Melchiorre at the Institut Català Investigació Quimica at Tarragona, Spain.

In 2021 Martin Berger received a Schrödinger grant by the Austrian Science Fund for his postdoc project.