Title: Steroid and Terpenoid Chemistry: Efficient and Scalable Synthesis
Abstract:
Steroids exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities—including anti-inflammatory, anti-shock, immunosuppressive, and antifertility effects—and their research has made great contributions to the development of organic chemistry and drug discovery. However, despite remarkable advances in steroid chemistry over the past century, the efficient and scalable synthesis of bioactive steroid natural products remains a daunting challenge, largely owing to their high structural complexity. This talk will present our recent efforts toward developing a bioinspired skeletal reorganization strategy that builds on a two-phase logic: an oxidase phase and an isomerase phase. Selected case studies will illustrate the power of this approach, demonstrating its utility in the concise synthesis of several complex steroids and related terpenoid natural products from inexpensive, readily available starting cmaterials.