Unlocking Complex Peptide Natural Products

Many peptide natural products possess intricate chemical features that make them challenging to access through chemical synthesis. This project will develop and apply new synthetic methodologies to produce these complex, high-value molecules, which are rarely available in useful quantities from natural sources. Through peptide synthesis and structural characterisation, the project will establish pathways to access these complex peptides in sufficient quantities to investigate their therapeutic potential or their application as next-generation molecular technologies. Our recent work in this area has established synthetic access to sex-inducing diatom pheromones, enabling their exploration as molecular tools for biotechnology.