Generation of Novel Fermentation Products and their Exploitation in the Synthesis of Biologically Active Organic Compounds with Therapeutic Potential

This project seeks to establish, using novel combinations of chemical, molecular biological, microbiological and fermentation techniques, efficient total syntheses of certain classes of biologically active natural products and their analogues. Through this integrated approach, concise routes to thus far inaccessible natural products possessing unusual structures will emerge and thereby allowing for a comprehensive assessment of their value as potential therapeutic agents. Specifically targetted compounds include sesquiterpenoids displaying potent antibacterial, cytostatic, neuromuscular and neurotrophic effects