New boron-nitrogen chemistry to expand medicines and biology
Official title: Expanding the Chemical and Functional Space with Boron-Nitrogen Heterocycles
Funded at Boston College · NIH-11602361 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Boston College team is developing new boron-nitrogen-based chemical space to create innovative molecules and tools for biology and drug discovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $106,309 |
| NIH project number | 3R35GM153328-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11602361 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not specifically a patient-facing trial yet, but tools and methods could ultimately benefit people through improved drug discovery and biomolecule studies.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit is not immediate; this is foundational research.
What this research studies
This grant aims to expand the chemical space scientists can explore by using BN/CC isosterism, replacing certain carbon-carbon bonds with boron-nitrogen in arenes. The project combines advanced synthetic chemistry with chemical biology to develop new ligands, bioconjugation methods, and a BN-derived fluorescent probe, with potential applications in studying proteins and cellular processes. If successful, these tools could enable more selective catalysts, faster bioconjugation, and novel biomolecules in bacterial and mammalian cells. The work is designed to generate fundamental knowledge that could translate into new approaches for biomedical research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could provide researchers with new chemical tools, biomolecules, and imaging probes that advance understanding and treatment of diseases.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in BN/CC isosterism has shown promise in expanding chemical space, but this specific BN-indole and BN-amino acid approach is exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Shih-Yuan — Boston College
- Study coordinator: Liu, Shih-Yuan
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.