My research interests lie at the interface of chemistry and biology. Central nervous system drug development has been plagued by frequent failures, in part, due to the shortage of biologically active molecules that can enter the brain. My work is focused on improving the ability of known drugs to enter the brain by altering their properties (e.g., polarity). My research students use a variety of organic chemistry techniques to synthesize and purify these new molecules. They also use medicinal chemistry and biochemistry techniques to experimentally and computationally determine the properties of these molecules, including their stabilities under physiological conditions and abilities to enter the brain.
