Medicinal Chemistry

Our highly experienced core staff has used their medicinal chemistry expertise to assist OHSU researchers with the design and implementation of iterative Structure-Activity Relationship approaches to small molecule optimization for drug discovery. With the aid of our synthesis, purification, and analytical instrumentation we aim to deliver these small molecules with >95 % purity and will provide a Certificate of Analysis.

  • Designing and implementing an iterative Structure-Activity Relationship approach to optimization of small molecules identified as possible lead candidates.
  • Designing and synthesizing unknown organic compounds with well-precedented literature-based synthetic routes.
  • Connecting you to a CRO, if we are not able to process your request due to time, price, or scale issues.
  • Providing you, upon request, with written synthetic procedures and additional characterization of synthesized compounds for publications or grants.

Comming soon!

Riffelmacher T, Paynich Murray M, Wientjens C, Chandra S, Cedillo-Castelán V, Chou TF, McArdle S, Dillingham C, Devereaux J, Nilsen A, Brunel S, Lewinsohn DM, Hasty J, Seumois G, Benedict CA, Vijayanand P, Kronenberg M. Divergent metabolic programmes control two populations of MAIT cells that protect the lung. Nat Cell Biol. 2023 Jun;25(6):877-891. doi: 10.1038/s41556-023-01152-6. Epub 2023 May 25. PubMed PMID: 37231163; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10264248.

Jin H, Ladd NA, Peev AM, Swarbrick GM, Cansler M, Null M, Boughter CT, McMurtrey C, Nilsen A, Dobos KM, Hildebrand WH, Lewinsohn DA, Adams EJ, Lewinsohn DM, Harriff MJ. Deaza-modification of MR1 ligands modulates recognition by MR1-restricted T cells. Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 29;12(1):22539. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-26259-y. PubMed PMID: 36581641; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9800373.

Foss MH, Stevens SL, Jin H, Allen EM, Nelson D, DeFilippis V, Nilsen A, Stenzel-Poore MP. Identification and Characterization of Small-Molecule IRF3-Dependent Immune Activators for Pharmaceutical Development. ACS Chem Biol. 2022 May 20;17(5):1073-1081. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.1c00912. Epub 2022 Apr 26. PubMed PMID: 35471821; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10064657.

McCullough AK, Minko IG, Nilsen A, Nagarajan S and Lloyd RS “Chapter 14: Modulation of DNA Glycosylase Activities via Small Molecules” 2021, Royal Society of Chemistry, Chemical Biology No. 15, DNA Damage, DNA Repair and Disease: Volume 2.

Abraham J, Botto S, Mizuno N, Pryke K, Gall B, Boehm D, Sali TM, Jin H, Nilsen A, Gough M, Baird J, Chakhtoura M, Subra C, Trautmann L, Haddad EK, DeFilippis VR. Characterization of a Novel Compound That Stimulates STING-Mediated Innate Immune Activity in an Allele-Specific Manner. Front Immunol. 2020;11:1430. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01430. eCollection 2020. PubMed PMID: 32733475; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7360819.

Eshleman AJ, Nagarajan S, Wolfrum KM, Reed JF, Nilsen A, Torralva R, Janowsky A. Affinity, potency, efficacy, selectivity, and molecular modeling of substituted fentanyls at opioid receptors. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020 Dec;182:114293. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114293. Epub 2020 Oct 20. PubMed PMID: 33091380.

Eshleman AJ, Nagarajan S, Wolfrum KM, Reed JF, Swanson TL, Nilsen A, Janowsky A. “Structure-activity relationships of bath salt components: substituted cathinones and benzofurans at biogenic amine transporters.” Psychopharmacology 2019, 236(3), 939-952.

Rozanov D, Cheltsov A, Nilsen A, Boniface C, Forquer I, Korkola J, Gray J, Tyner J, Tognon CE, Mills GB, Spellman P. “Targeting mitochondria in cancer therapy could provide a basis for the selective anti-cancer activity.” PLoS One 2019, 14(3), e0205623.

Sileikyte J, Devereaux J, de Jong J, Schiavone M, Jones K, Nilsen A, Bernardi P, Forte M, Cohen M. “Second generation inhibitors of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore with improved plasma stability.” ChemMedChem 2019, 14(20), 1771-1782.

B. Gall, K. Pryke, J. Abraham, N. Mizuno, S. Botto, T.M. Sali, R. Broeckel, N. Haese, A. Nilsen, A. Placzek, T. Morrison, M. Heise, D. Streblow, V. DeFilippis “Emerging Alphaviruses Are Sensitive to Cellular States Induced by a Novel Small-Molecule Agonist of the STING Pathway.” Journal of Virology 2018, 92(6), e01913-17.

Harriff MJ, McMurtrey C, Froyd CA, Jin H, Cansler M, Null M, Worley A, Meermeier EW, Swarbrick G, Nilsen A, Lewinsohn DA, Hildebrand W, Adams EJ, Lewinsohn DM. “MR1 displays the microbial metabolome driving selective MR1-restricted T cell receptor usage.” Science Immunology 2018, 3(25), eaao2556.

Smith JL, Sheridan K, Parkins CJ, Frueh L, Jemison AL, Strode K, Dow G, Nilsen A, Hirsch AJ “Characterization and structure-activity relationship analysis of a class of antiviral compounds that directly bind dengue virus capsid protein and are incorporated into virions.” Antiviral Research 2018, 12-19.

K.M. Pryke, J. Abraham, T.M. Sali, B.J. Gall, I. Archer, A. Liu, S. Bambina, J. Baird, M. Gough, M. Chakhtoura, E.K. Haddad, I.T. Kirby, A. Nilsen, D.N. Streblow, A.J. Hirsch, J.L. Smith, V.R. DeFilippis “A Novel Agonist of the TRIF Pathway Induces a Cellular State Refractory to Replication of Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue Viruses.” mBio 2017, 8(3), e00452-17.

T.M. Sali, K.M. Pryke, J. Abraham, A. Liu, I. Archer, R. Broeckel, J.A. Staverosky, J.L. Smith, A. Al-Shammari, L. Amsler, K. Sheridan, A. Nilsen, D.N. Streblow, V.R. DeFilippis “Characterization of a Novel Human-Specific STING Agonist that Elicits Antiviral Activity Against Emerging Alphaviruses.” PLoS Pathogens 2015, 11(12), e1005324.

Contract synthesis

  • Synthesis of known and unknown organic compounds with well-characterized literature-based synthetic routes.
  • Cost estimates are based on time required for synthesis and purification and cost of material.
  • Cost includes a Certificate of Analysis with purity and identity confirmation.

$Z000 (X hours x 100/hour + $Y00 material costs)

Research synthesis

  • Synthesis of known and unknown organic compounds with no or poorly characterized literature-based synthetic routes.
  • Cost estimates are based on time required for synthesis and purification and cost of materials and are presented as a range with the higher number including a case-by-case research buffer.
  • Cost includes a Certificate of Analysis with purity and identity confirmation.

$Z1000 - $Z2000 (X1 – X2 hours x 100/hour + $Y00 material costs)

Written procedures and additional analysis

  • Collection of additional analytical data and writing procedures for publications or grants.
  • Cost estimates are based on time required for additional analysis and writing.

$Z00 (X hours x 100/hour)

Material costs

  • These are pass-through costs.
  • Material costs can vary from the original cost estimate if we need to order more or different chemicals for the synthesis. We will contact you before making any additional purchases.

$Y00 material costs