Human diseases caused by a deficiency, rather than an excess, of protein function are typically refractory to standard pharmacological interventions. However, small molecules may also possess largely untapped potential to replicate the functions of deficient proteins that underlie such diseases, thereby operating as prostheses on the molecular scale. As is still the case with most areas of small molecule science, synthesis represents a major bottleneck in efforts to understand and/or maximally harness this functional potential. Iterative cross-coupling with MIDA boronates has emerged as a simple, flexible, and increasingly general approach for complex small molecule synthesis. This platform ultimately aims to help shift the rate limiting step in small molecule science from synthesis to function and bring the power of small molecule synthesis to non-specialists. Recent advances with MIDA boronates and their enabling applications to the synthesis and study of small molecules with protein-like functions will be described.

Award Address  (Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution in Organic Synthesis by a Young Investigator sponsored by Pfizer Endowment Fund). Making molecular prosthetics

245th National Meeting (2013)

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