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MedChem Teams

TEAM medChem I 

Katherine England (Team Leader - MedChem I)

Mia Callens (Postdoctoral Scientist)

Ethan Chidlow (Research Assistant)

TEAM medChem II 

Sheenagh Aiken (Team Leader - MedChem II)

Tom Grimes (DPhil/Research Assistant)

Gonzalo Vera Namuncura (Research Assistant)

Laura Ortega Varga (Postdoctoral Scientist)

TEAM expertise & Technologies

  • At the ODDI, medicinal chemists are integral to the early-stage development of novel therapeutics targeting neurodegenerative diseases, with a primary focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
  • Working within a multidisciplinary environment, the medicinal chemistry teams are responsible for the design, synthesis, and optimisation of small molecules that modulate disease-relevant biological targets.
  • Using insights from structural biology, computational modelling, and structure–activity relationships (SAR), ODDI chemists iteratively modify hit and lead compounds to improve potency, selectivity, physicochemical properties, and CNS drug-likeness. This includes addressing critical challenges such as blood–brain barrier permeability, metabolic stability, and avoidance of off-target effects.
  • The medicinal chemistry teams collaborate closely with the ODDI biology teams from the start of a project, through target validation, assay development and high throughput screening and then to progress compounds through hit-to-lead and lead optimisation stages, with the ultimate aim of delivering high-quality preclinical candidates.

 

The ODDI houses two state of the art chemistry labs (24 fume hoods) where we can perform milligram to decagram scale reactions. We have access to full ADME, PK and Tox studies through CROs.

 

Available instruments

  • 8 Biotage Selekt systems
  • 2 Waters analytical and preparative HPLCs
  • 2 EZ-2 Elite Genevac systems
  • 2 H-Cube systems for hydrogenations
  • Bruker Avance III 400MHz NMR
  • M2 Photoreactor
  • IKA ElectraSyn 2.0
  • Peptide synthesizer
  • Initiator Microwave

 

Molecular design and docking

  • Schrödinger / ICM
  • ChemAxon (DesignHub)
  • AlphaFold 3
  • Cloud computing (AWS)
  • Virtual screening