Dr Daniel Whelligan

Lecturer in Organic/Medicinal Chemistry

Qualifications: MSci, PhD

Email:
Room no: 36 AZ 03

Further information

Biography

Daniel Whelligan gained his first degree (1st class) in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge (Churchill College) in 2000.  After graduation, he spent the summer at Université Bordeaux I, France carrying out organic synthesis in the group of Professor Stephane Quideau.   He then moved to the University of Durham for his PhD with Dr Patrick Steel on the use of silenes (Si=C) in novel organic synthetic methods.  In 2004, he secured an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to work on the use of paracyclophanes in asymmetric catalysis with Professor Carsten Bolm at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.  From 2006-7, he took time to travel around the world including a 3 month postdoctoral research placement with Professor Mark von Itzstein at the Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Australia.  On return to the UK, Daniel worked from 2007-10 at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) as a Postdoctoral Training Fellow in Medicinal Chemistry in the group of Dr Swen Hoelder on the discovery of inhibitors of cancer targets.  In 2011 he was appointed as Lecturer of Organic/Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Surrey.

Research Interests

Drug discovery and design.

Novel organic synthetic methods to aid drug discovery and design.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Wylie L, Innocenti P, Whelligan DK, Hoelder S. (2012) 'Synthesis of amino-substituted indoles using the Bartoli reaction'. Org Biomol Chem, 10 (22), pp. 4441-4447.
  • Beemelmanns C, Husmann R, Whelligan DK, Özçubukçu S, Bolm C. (2012) 'Planar-Chiral Bis-silanols and Diols as H-Bonding Asymmetric Organocatalysts'. European Journal of Organic Chemistry, , pp. 3373-3376.
  • Whelligan DK, Solanki S, Taylor D, Thomson DW, Cheung KMJ, Boxall K, Mas-Droux C, Barillari C, Burns S, Grummitt CG, Collins I, van Montfort RLM, Aherne GW, Bayliss R, Hoelder S. (2010) 'Aminopyrazine Inhibitors Binding to an Unusual Inactive Conformation of the Mitotic Kinase Nek2: SAR and Structural Characterization'. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 53 (21), pp. 7682-7698.

    Abstract

    We report herein the first systematic exploration of inhibitors of the mitotic kinase Nek2. Starting from HTS hit aminopyrazine 2, compounds with improved activity were identified using structure-based design. Our structural biology investigations reveal two notable observations. First, 2 and related compounds bind to an unusual, inactive conformation of the kinase which to the best of our knowledge has not been reported for other types of kinase inhibitors. Second, a phenylalanine residue at the center of the ATP pocket strongly affects the ability of the inhibitor to bind to the protein. The implications of these observations are discussed, and the work described here defines key features for potent and selective Nek2 inhibition, which will aid the identification of more advanced inhibitors of Nek2.

  • Whelligan DK, Thomson DW, Taylor D, Hoelder S. (2010) 'Two-Step Synthesis of Aza- and Diazaindoles from Chloroamino-N-heterocycles Using Ethoxyvinylborolane'. The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 75 (1), pp. 11-15.

    Abstract

    An efficient two-step route to a broad range of aza- and diazaindoles was established, starting from chloroamino-N-heterocycles, without the need for protecting groups. The method involves an optimized Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with (2-ethoxyvinyl)borolane followed by acetic acid-catalyzed cyclization.

  • Bolm C, Whelligan DK. (2006) 'The synthesis of pseudo-geminal, pseudo-ortho and ortho hydroxy-oxazolinyl[2.2]paracyclophanes for use as ligands in asymmetric catalysis'. Adv Synth Catal, 348 (15), pp. 2093-2100.
  • Whelligan DK, Bolm C. (2006) 'Synthesis of pseudo-geminal-, pseudo-ortho-, and ortho-phosphinyl-oxazolinyl-[2.2]paracyclophanes for use as ligands in asymmetric catalysis.'. American Chemical Society J Org Chem, 71 (12), pp. 4609-4618.

    Abstract

    Syntheses of three regioisomers of aromatic-substituted phosphinyl-oxazolinyl-[2.2]paracyclophanes, pseudo-geminal, pseudo-ortho, and ortho, have been carried out or, in the latter two cases, newly developed. It has, therefore, been demonstrated that all aromatic-substituted isomers relevant for use as chelating ligands for asymmetric catalysis are accessible. These P,N-ligands, along with their diastereoisomers, were shown to exhibit widely differing activity and enantioselectivity (up to 89% ee) in the Pd-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reaction.

  • Berry MB, Griffiths RJ, Sanganee MJ, Steel PG, Whelligan DK. (2004) 'Silenes as novel synthetic reagents: identification of a practical method for silene generation and trapping.'. Org Biomol Chem, 2 (16), pp. 2381-2392.
  • Sanganee MJ, Steel PG, Whelligan DK. (2004) 'Stereochemistry of the reaction of Si-phenyl silenes with butadienes: elaboration of the silacycloadducts to provide a novel route to substituted lactones.'. Org Biomol Chem, England: 2 (16), pp. 2393-2402.
  • Berry MB, Griffiths RJ, Sanganee MJ, Steel PG, Whelligan DK. (2003) 'Silenes as novel synthetic reagents: synthesis of diols and lactones from simple alkyldienes'. Tetrahedron Lett, 44 (51), pp. 9135-9138.
  • Sanganee MJ, Steel PG, Whelligan DK. (2003) 'Novel one-pot synthesis of aryltris(trimethylsilyl)silanes.'. J Org Chem, 68 (8), pp. 3337-3339.
  • Quideau S, Pouysegu L, Avellan AV, Whelligan DK, Looney MA. (2001) 'Hypervalent iodine(III)-mediated oxidative acetoxylation of 2-methoxyphenols for regiocontrolled nitrogen benzannulation'. Tetrahedron Lett, 42 (42), pp. 7393-7396.

Book chapters

  • Whelligan DK. (2009) 'Benzotriazole Linker Units'. in Scott PJH (ed.) Linker Strategies in Solid-Phase Organic Synthesis Wiley Article number 11

Teaching

Level 5 (Year 2) CHE2029 Medicinal Chemistry I

Level 6 (Year 3) CHE3046 Topics in Organic Chemistry

Level 6 (Year 3) CHE3049 Medicinal Chemistry II

Level 7 (Year 4) CHEM025 Advanced Topics in Organic Chemistry

Level 7 (Year 4) CHEM032 Advanced Medicinal Chemistry

Lecture notes, coursework, supplementary videos and documents available on SurreyLearn

Departmental Duties

Programme Director of MSc in Drug Discovery

(see MSc Drug Discovery movie)

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