The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 30th that a research team led by Professor Han Soon-kyu from the Department of Chemistry has been awarded the 2024 Synlett Best Paper Award by the prestigious German academic publisher Thieme. Each year, Thieme presents the Best Paper Award to one paper published in the organic chemistry field journal Synlett.
In the award-winning paper, the research team successfully synthesized the rare natural compounds "4α-hydroxyallosecurinine" and "securinine F" artificially from readily available starting materials for the first time in the world, achieving the synthesis from start to finish. These "securinine" natural products are gaining attention as candidates for treating brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, depression, and Parkinson's disease, as they induce neuroplasticity, which changes the structure and function of the brain.
Debabrata Maiti, editor of Synlett and professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, noted, "This paper is the world's first research on the artificially synthesized natural product known as 4α-hydroxyallosecurinine and securinine F, which are recognized as candidates for brain disease treatments, and we have highly evaluated its importance in selecting it as the 'Best Paper.'"
He added that "this research is expected to contribute to determining which biological targets the natural securinine compounds interact with in the future or be utilized in the development of next-generation precision therapeutics."
Professor Han Soon-kyu said, "Previous awardees of this prize include superstars in organic synthesis chemistry like Phil Baran and pioneers in nanocarbon and molecular-based materials chemistry like Kenichiro Itami from Nagoya University in Japan, who are currently leading scholars in organic chemistry. This award is a great honor to me, and I will conduct research that benefits humanity with an even greater sense of scholarly responsibility going forward."
The Synlett Best Paper Award winner receives a prize of €3,000 (approximately 4.67 million won), and Professor Han Soon-kyu is scheduled to give an online commemorative lecture at the Thieme Cheminar, a chemistry seminar hosted by Thieme, on June 12.
References
Synlett (2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2047-9680