2017

Congratulations to Iain and Raffi, whose work was recently featured in the Swiss pharmaceutical monthly OTX World! In this work, high school Matura students were allowed to discover, probe and test novel antibacterial compounds - an important step towards our goal of turning this technology into a viable outreach program for high schoolers and hobbyists alike. "Ein spannendes Projekt" indeed!

Congratulations to Jeff, who was announced as a 2018 recipient of the Mukaiyama Award from the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan! The Mukaiyama Award is bestowed every year upon an individual of 45 years old or younger, who has made outstanding contrbutions to synthetic organic chemistry, and Jeff joins a hugely prestigious list of past winners. Sounds like some saké might be in order!

Our annual group trip was as great as ever this year - a festival of beautiful scenery, exhilarating science and exceptionally serious ping pong contests. Check out some photos on our Facebook page!

Congratulations to former visiting students Teerawat Songsichan and Jumpei Taguchi on their new papers in Helvetica and Angewandte Chemie respectively! Bank's paper extends our SnAP methodology to hydrazine substrates, while Jumpei's paper showcases the development of a new ozonolysis-based synthesis of acyl boron species, culminating in the synthesis of first ever amino acid KAT molecule. We wish them both warm congratulations and good luck in their future research!

Congratulations to our KAHA team past and present on our new Account of Chemical Research! This witty and frequently self-deprecating account details the full chronology of the development of the KAHA ligation and our protein synthesis projects to date. A fascinating and entertaining case study in the bumpy ride of academic research, it's a genuinely enjoyable read for both experts and outsiders alike, and a true celebration of how far the project has come. Congratulations, everyone!