Professor Steve Ley CBE FRS FMedSci | Professor Steven V. Ley Research Group

Director of Research

In the Ley Group, we specialise in developing new synthesis methods and applying them to the construction of biologically important molecules. Over the years we have completed the total synthesis of many natural products, including: spongistatin 1 (anti-mitotic agent); rapamycin (immunosuppressant); thapsigargin (SERCA pumps inhibitor); azadirachtin (insect antifeedant); and bengazole A (fungicide). In addition to our research on natural product synthesis, we also pioneered flow chemistry and machine assisted synthesis.

For more detailed research information and our publication list, please see our legacy group website.

Completed Natural Products

Publications

Defects in signal transduction caused by a T cell receptor beta chain substitution.

TA Reno, S Ley, E Sugiyama, A Cantagrel, R Blumberg, J Bonventre, C Terhorst, ET Yeh

European journal of immunology

(2005)

20

1417

(doi: 10.1002/eji.1830200702)

Michael, Michael-aldol and Michael-Michael reactions of enolate equivalents of butane-2,3-diacetal protected glycolic acid derivatives.

SV Ley, DJ Dixon, RT Guy, F Rodríguez, TD Sheppard

Organic & biomolecular chemistry

(2005)

3

4095

(doi: 10.1039/b512410g)

Evolution or Revolution: The Challenge to the Modern Medicinal Chemist

IR Baxendale, SV Ley

(2005)

1

Total synthesis of two novel subpicomolar sarco/endoplasmatic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase inhibitors designed by an analysis of the binding site of thapsigargin

H Søhoel, T Liljefors, SV Ley, SF Oliver, A Antonello, MD Smith, CE Olsen, JT Isaacs, SB Christensen

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

(2005)

48

7005

(doi: 10.1021/jm058036v)

Synthesis of Alkaloid Natural Products Using Solid-Supported Reagents and Scavengers

I Baxendale, S Ley

Current Organic Chemistry

(2005)

9

1521

(doi: 10.2174/138527205774370513)

A versatile organocatalyst for the asymmetric conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to enones.

CET Mitchell, SE Brenner, SV Ley

Chemical Communications

(2005)

5346

(doi: 10.1039/b511441a)

Foreword

P Nolan

(2005)

xi

(doi: 10.1002/3527606858)

A highly selective, organocatalytic route to chiral dihydro-1,2-oxazines

S Kumarn, DM Shaw, DA Longbottom, SV Ley

Organic letters

(2005)

7

4189

(doi: 10.1021/ol051577u)

Total synthesis of spongistatin 1: a synthetic strategy exploiting its latent pseudo-symmetry.

M Ball, MJ Gaunt, DF Hook, AS Jessiman, S Kawahara, P Orsini, A Scolaro, AC Talbot, HR Tanner, S Yamanoi, SV Ley

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

(2005)

44

5433

(doi: 10.1002/anie.200502008)

Synthesis of the EF fragment of spongistatin 1

SV Ley, S Kawahara, MJ Gaunt, A Scolaro, S Yamanoi

Synlett

(2005)

2031

(doi: 10.1055/s-2005-871960)

Research Interest Groups

Telephone number

01223 336398

Email address

svl1000@cam.ac.uk

College

Trinity College

Papers of Interest

141. Preparation and use of tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP reagent) as new catalytic oxidants for alcohols J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun.,1987, 1625-1627.
659. The Synthesis of Azadirachtin Chem. Eur. J., 2008, 14, 10683-10704
366. Total synthesis of the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1998, 3907-3912.
608. Total Synthesis of Rapamycin Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2007, 46, 591-597.
669. MultiStep Synthesis using Modular Flow Reactors Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2009, 48, 4017-4021
626. A Fascination with 1,2-Diacetals J. Org. Chem., 2007, 72, 5943-5959.
536. Multi-step Application of Immobilized Reagents and Scavengers: A Total Synthesis of Epothilone C Chem. Eur. J., 2004, 10, 2529-2547.
595. A Flow Process for the Multi-Step Synthesis of Oxomaritidine: A New Paradigm for Molecular Assembly J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 2006, 2566-2568.
785. Accelerating spirocyclic polyketide synthesis using flow chemistry Angew. Chem. Int. Edn., 2014, 53, 4915-4920
854. A Lewis Base Catalysis Approach for the Photoredox Activation of Boronic Acids and Esters Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56, 15136-15140