Catalytic carbon-fluorine chemistry to help make better medicines
Official title: Catalytic C-F Bond Functionalization and Asymmetric Synthesis with Fluorinated Organic Compounds
Funded at Georgetown University · NIH-11424651 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Georgetown University project aims to develop new ways to modify fluorinated molecules so chemists can design and make better drugs more efficiently.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R15 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgetown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2013 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $558,245 |
| NIH project number | 2R15GM106260-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11424651 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients who could benefit from future fluorinated drugs developed using these new methods.
✕Less likely to help
Patients would not directly benefit from this basic chemistry project unless new drugs are advanced from it.
What this research studies
This grant supports a chemistry project that seeks to create catalytic methods for carbon-fluorine bond formation and for making fluorinated compounds chiral. The work focuses on overcoming challenges posed by the stability of C-F bonds and the strong effects of fluorine on reactivity to enable new drug-building possibilities. Researchers will develop catalytic and asymmetric approaches that tolerate a wide range of functional groups, with the goal of expanding the chemical space available for medicinal chemistry. The outcomes could provide medicinal chemists with more versatile tools to design and optimize drug candidates.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could give drug developers new, more controllable ways to build fluorinated medicines with improved properties.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in fluorinated chemistry has yielded useful methods, but this project aims for higher control and broader applicability.
Where this research is happening
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Georgetown University
Washington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wolf, Christian — Georgetown University
- Study coordinator: Wolf, Christian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.