Justin Fairfield Bower

The design and synthesis of novel, potent and orally bioavailable N-aryl piperazine-1-carboxamide CCR2 antagonists with very high hERG selectivity

A novel N-aryl piperazine-1-carboxamide series of human CCR2 chemokine receptor antagonists was discovered. Early analogues were potent at CCR2 but also inhibited the hERG cardiac ion channel. Structural modifications which decreased lipophilicity and basicity resulted in the identification of a sub-series with an improved margin over hERG. The pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of the lead compound from this series, N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-[(2R)-4-isopropylpiperazine-2-carbonyl]piperazine-1-carboxamide, are described.

Acyl Polysilanes: New Acyl Anion Equivalents for Additions to Electron-Deficient Alkenes

Silenes, generated through thermolysis of acylpolysilanes, add to alpha,beta-unsaturated esters to form cyclobutanes and silylsubstituted cyclopropanes in moderate yields. Upon Si-C bond oxidation the cyclopropanes are converted directly to 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds, thus demonstrating the formal acyl anion chemistry of acyl polysilanes.

The first intramolecular silene Diels-Alder reactions

The synthesis of silaheterocycles through the first examples of an intramolecular silene Diels-Alder reaction is described.