Laboratory of Organic Synthesis
Director: Associate Professor Dr. Supanna Techasakul
The emergence or re-emergence of both infectious and non-communicable diseases has signified the importance and power of organic synthesis for the discovery and development of drug-like candidates towards novel efficacious drugs of future. Microbial infections as well as morbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s have been associated as the cause of mortality, especially in the elderly. In 2020, while over 19 million new cases of cancer have been reported, more than 400 million people are living with diabetes worldwide. In addition, it has been estimated that more than 150 million people have been affected by Alzheimer’s and a new case of dementia occurs every 3.2 seconds.
These have become major public health issues as Thailand rely virtually solely on importing all active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of small molecule drugs, thereby rendering the health crisis not only non-cost effective but also prone to be uncontrollable. Thus, establishing a viable program in drug discovery and development is an important element to ensure the drug security of our country. In addition, developing new prototypes for medical device using synthetic polymers is also a key to address medical needs for some treatments.
Our laboratory has established an integrative approach to practically bring bench-top discoveries to bed-side cares; this can be classified into three main areas:
Over the years, through the integrative approach as well as collaborations both nationally and internationally with universities and research institutions, our laboratory has exemplified how to best translate knowledge from basic research into pragmatic development for research utilization. As a consequence, patents ranging from potent novel anti-HIV agents to innovative medical devices have been successfully filed. These patents not only reflect successful research translation from laboratory discoveries to industry but also represent important intellectual properties for future profitable commercialization.