Ashok Khanal
Original Research Proposal
Michigan Technological University
Department of Chemistry
Advisor: Dr. Shiyue Fang
Thursday, March 5, 2015
10:00 am Chem Sci ~ Room 211
Synthesis of Lipodiscamide A
Abstract:
Lipodiscamide A is a cytotoxic lipopeptide extracted from the marine sponge Discodermia kiiensis. Research on lipodiscamide A has been fueled by its properties such as cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial and immunosuppressive activities. In this proposal, the total synthesis of lipodiscamide A will be described. Structurally, lipodiscamide A contains an unsaturated fatty acid moiety and a hexapeptide moiety. The two moieties are linked together with two ester bonds to form a macrocycle. The yield of this compound from natural sources is very low. Therefore, its synthesis from readily available starting materials resulting in large amounts of lipodiscamide A is important for full investigation of its biological activities.