Dr. Ken Dawson-Scully, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences has received an NIH grant in collaboration with Dr. Salvatore Lepore, Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The grant entitled “Synthesis of a Bridged Natural Product Using Allenyl Esters” is a three year R15 grant funded by the National Institute of General Medicine and the total award is $448,500 (direct cost is $300,000). Their ongoing collaborative efforts reveal that polyphenol compounds such as resveratrol act via a specific neuroprotective mechanism unrelated to the known antioxidant properties of these compounds. These studies will ultimately serve as a starting point for future collaborative medicinal chemistry investigations to identify novel agents against diseases such as Parkinson’s and stroke.
