Featured Event

<h2>Crump Institute and JCCC research seminar featuring Dr. Steven H. Liang</h2><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><h3>PET biomarker development & precision radiochemistry</h3><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><div style="border-bottom: 1px solid #dfdfdf;"></div><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><b>Date:</b><br><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->June 19, 2017 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><div style="border-bottom: 1px solid #dfdfdf; margin-bottom: 20px;"></div><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><b>Speaker</b>: Steven H. Liang Ph.D.,<br><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->Assistant Professor Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><br><br><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->Dr. Steven Liang's research is focused on novel labeling platforms to introduce radioisotopes into molecules of interest. They are also investigating the development and transition of novel PET biomarkers, for new biological and drug targets into clinical use.<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><br><br><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><b>Biography</b><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><br><br><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->I obtained my B.Sc (Honors) in chemistry at Tianjin University in 2003, followed by one year industry practice on the peptide synthesis. In 2004, I moved to Canada and pursued my Ph.D under the supervision of Professor Marco Ciufolini, Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, at the University of British Columbia. My doctoral research mainly focuses on natural product and analog synthesis for pharmaceutical application. It has involved (1) the synthesis of analogs of the antifungal natural product sordarin, in collaboration with Bayer CropScience; (2) development and optimization of intramolecular and bimolecular oxidative amidation, and application of this methodology to the total synthesis of (+)-lepadiformine, a potassium channel blocker, and to synthetic studies of tetrodotoxin and himandrine; (3) the synthesis of three fragments of the anticancer natural product diazonamide B. I have also devoted myself to independent research that has resulted in several articles as the corresponding author, for instance, (1) topic on synthesis of fully functionalized oxazoles in Current Organic Chemistry; (2) topic on antifungal natural product sordarin in Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry (one of the five most accessed articles in October 2008, 4400+ times open-accessed as of Nov 2011) and two chemical reagent reviews in Synlett. In early 2010, I started a new journey in the laboratory of Professor Elias J. Corey, Noble Laureate in Chemistry, in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. My postdoctoral research centers on the innovation of silicon-based reagents and their applications in natural product and bioactive analog synthesis. One of my contributions is the invention and commercialization of a new silyl protective reagent, which is highlighted on C&EN News, Synform and top one of most-read articles on Organic Letters in 2011.<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->