Improving How Cross-Coupling Reactions Build Drug-Like Molecules
Official title: Improving Small Molecule Synthesis by Controlling Selectivity in Cross-Coupling Reactions
Funded at Montana State University - Bozeman · NIH-11329723 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant aims to make palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions more selective so medicinal chemists can efficiently make drug-like molecules.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Montana State University - Bozeman NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bozeman, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2020 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $383,914 |
| NIH project number | 2R35GM137971-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11329723 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; this is a chemistry-focused grant.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient benefit from participation in this project.
What this research studies
Medicinal chemists rely on cross-coupling to form carbon–carbon and carbon–nitrogen bonds in potential drugs. This project focuses on improving site selectivity when substrates have multiple reactive sites, which can otherwise lead to low yields and complicated purifications. By understanding and controlling how these reactions proceed, the work could streamline the synthesis of complex drug candidates, including those with FDA-approved scaffolds. The research is centered on challenging substrates like multi-halogenated heteroaromatics, with implications for faster, cleaner production of new therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could make drug synthesis more efficient, enabling faster development of new medicines with fewer purification hurdles.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows that improving selectivity in cross-coupling can lead to better yields and fewer byproducts in drug synthesis.
Where this research is happening
-
Montana State University - Bozeman
Bozeman, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Neufeldt, Sharon — Montana State University - Bozeman
- Study coordinator: Neufeldt, Sharon
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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.