DC 14: Design and synthesis of ligands for the FMN riboswitch and the 5’-UTR of ompA

PhD project description:

The PhD project will focus on the design and synthesis of small organic molecules as novel ligands for two different RNA targets: i) The flavin mononucleotide (FMN) riboswitch, which regulates the expression of genes involved in biosynthesis and transport of riboflavin and is an established druggable target for antibiotics, and ii) The 5’-untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA coding for the outer membrane protein A (ompA), which plays a crucial role in pathogenicity and virulence of Acinetobacter baumanii.

You will take part in the design of novel target compounds for synthesis and will be responsible for the development of synthesis routes, and synthesis of the target compounds. This will be based on compounds that have been identified through either high-throughput screening, fragment-based screening or molecular design by other project members. You will be tasked with developing new synthesis routes and using these to produce compound libraries for the purpose of establishing structure-activity relationships.

You will work in a team together with other synthesis- and medicinal chemists both within the TargetRNA doctoral network and the research group. The work tasks will be varied, and you will be given the opportunity to contribute to developing new solution in a research environment that focuses on innovation. Testing in biochemical assays will be carried out by other project members as well as external partners.

You are expected to co-supervise MSc-students and participate actively in professional activities within the TargetRNA network, the research group and at the Department of Chemistry.