WEHI New Medicines and Diagnostics division Special Seminar hosted by Dr Duong Nhu

Associate Professor Allan Gamble

Postdoctoral Fellow – Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, New Zealand

A Link to the Drug: Self-Eliminating Linkers in Drug Delivery and Bioorthogonal Chemistry

L7W Seminar Room | Bundoora large boardroom

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Including Q&A session

Please note this presentation will not be recorded

Self-eliminating linkers enable chemists and biologists to mask a chemical group required for function, with the added benefit of being able to control the removal of the group on demand. However, there are still some issues with these types of linkers including: (1) non-optimal release kinetics and (2) generation of reactive by-products. Our investigations into improved stimuli-responsive self-eliminating linkers will be presented. For example, we have developed a method for bioorthogonal activation of prodrugs, whereby the structure of the linker dictates the release rate of the drug. Also discussed will be our work investigating the potential to generate bioactive heterocycles in situ from reactive linker by-products following activation and self-elimination of the prodrug.  

Allan received his PhD in organic chemistry in 2008 from the University of Wollongong, Australia under the supervision of Prof Paul Keller. He then moved to Canberra to take up a postdoctoral position in the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University with Prof. Chris Easton. In 2011 he was awarded a Sir Keith Murdoch Postdoctoral Fellowship through the American-Australian Association to work with Prof. Paul Wender at Stanford University in the area of drug delivery. In May 2012 he took up the position of Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry and Biopharmaceutical Science in the School of Pharmacy at Otago and is now an Associate Professor. His research interests are in the areas of bioorganic/medicinal chemistry and drug delivery.

All welcome!