Webster Santos

Synopsis:

The Santos Lab is a chemistry lab that applies organic synthesis in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. Synthetic methods development and discovery of molecules that improve human health is at the center of the lab's work.

Description:

Dr. Santos' work in medicinal chemistry focuses on the development of drugs for the treatment of various disease states. For example, mitochondria-selective small molecule mitochondrial uncouplers enable the increase in nutrient oxidation and cellular respiration leading to agents with the potential to treat obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. Molecules that interfere with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling either through inhibition of sphingosine kinases or S1P transporter spns2 or mfsd2b have the potential for treating multiple sclerosis, fibrosis, and more recently, coronavirus infection. The main goal of his work is to develop these drug-like compounds towards the clinic by extensive structure-activity profiling both in vitro and in animal models of disease.

Another thrust in the Santos Lab is the development of sustainable methods for the synthesis of organic compounds bearing boron, silicon or trifluoromethyl groups. These functional groups are enabling technologies that allows the synthesis of complex molecules or improve the activities of medicinal compounds. In particular, the stereo- and regioselective formation of products is desired.