Xue-Min Cheng is a medicinal chemist, author and pharmaceutical executive best known as the co-author of The Logic of Chemical Synthesis,[1][2] which formalized retrosynthesis. The concept for this Elias J. Corey won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.[3]

Xue-Min Cheng, Ph.D.
Alma materPeking University, University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University
Scientific career
Thesis (1987)
Doctoral advisorAlan P. Kozikowski

Education and Postdoctoral research edit

Cheng earned her BS in chemistry from Peking University, and a doctoral degree in synthetic chemistry from Alan Kozikowski at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work studied applications of nitrile oxides, for example cycloadditions to form C-glycosides,[4] or utilization of nitrile oxides as precursors to functionalized heterocycles.[5] While a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard, Cheng co-authored The Logic of Chemical Synthesis with Corey, the first three chapters of which explore computational and logic-based approaches[6] to disassemble organic molecule "targets" (TGTs) through various transforms, leading to "retrons" and "synthons", e.g. simpler molecules that could be used to access the TGT. Noteworthy here is the Preface, which indicates that all structures found in the book were drawn "by computer", that is, with the then-new ChemDraw software package adapted by Stewart Rubenstein, David A. Evans, and Sally Evans.[7]

Research career edit

After Harvard, Cheng took a position at Warner-Lambert Research, later Pfizer, in Michigan, USA. Work there included ketopiperazine-based renin inhibitors,[8] HMG-CoA inhibitors,[9] and molecules against multiple other cardiovascular targets. Cheng contributed to the development of Lipitor, Pfizer's best selling product.[10] In 2006, Cheng moved to the University of Michigan as a research associate professor. Around this time, Cheng and fellow Pfizer chemist Helen T. Lee formed AAPharmaSyn, a global chemistry contract research organization.[10]

Since 2011, Cheng and colleagues at Michigan have focused their efforts on DARPA-backed dendrimeric drug delivery systems for battlefield use.[11][12]

As of 2008, Cheng is the inventor or coinventor on 18 patents.[10]

References edit

  1. ^ Coleman, Robert S. (January 1996). "The Logic of Chemical Synthesis By E. J. Corey and Xue-Min Cheng. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 1995. 436 pp. 18 × 25 cm. ISBN 0-471-11594-0. $24.95 (pbk)". Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 39 (4): 1010. doi:10.1021/jm950845z. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  2. ^ Corey, EJ, Cheng, X-M (1989). The Logic of Chemical Synthesis. New York, NY: Wiley Interscience. ISBN 978-0-471-11594-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Etzkorn, Felicia A (December 3, 2019). Green Chemistry: Principles and Case Studies. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 9781839160165. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. ^ Kozikowski, Alan P.; Cheng, Xue-Min (1987). "An efficacious synthesis of aryl and heteroaryl C-glycosides". Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications (9): 680. doi:10.1039/C39870000680. ISSN 0022-4936.
  5. ^ Kozikowski, Alan P.; Cheng, Xue-Min; Li, Chun-Sing; Scripko, James G. (1986). "A New Indole Synthesis Promoted by Metal Triflates". Israel Journal of Chemistry. 27 (1): 61–65. doi:10.1002/ijch.198600011. ISSN 0021-2148.
  6. ^ Rouhi, A. Maureen (March 29, 2004). "Above and beyond organic synthesis". Chemical & Engineering News. 82 (13). Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  7. ^ Evans, David A. (2014-08-11). "History of the Harvard ChemDraw Project". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 53 (42): 11140–11145. doi:10.1002/anie.201405820. ISSN 1433-7851. PMID 25131311.
  8. ^ Holsworth, Daniel D.; Cai, Cuiman; Cheng, Xue-Min; Cody, Wayne L.; Downing, Dennis M.; Erasga, Noe; Lee, Chitase; Powell, Noel A.; Edmunds, Jeremy J.; Stier, Michael; Jalaie, Mehran; Zhang, Erli; McConnell, Pat; Ryan, Michael J.; Bryant, John; Li, Tingsheng; Kasani, Aparna; Hall, Eric; Subedi, Rajendra; Rahim, Mohammad; Maiti, Samarendra (2006-05-01). "Ketopiperazine-based renin inhibitors: Optimization of the "C" ring". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 16 (9): 2500–2504. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2006.01.084. ISSN 0960-894X. PMID 16480874.
  9. ^ Pfefferkorn, Jeffrey A.; Song, Yuntao; Sun, Kuai-Lin; Miller, Steven R.; Trivedi, Bharat K.; Choi, Chulho; Sorenson, Roderick J.; Bratton, Larry D.; Unangst, Paul C.; Larsen, Scott D.; Poel, Toni-Jo; Cheng, Xue-Min; Lee, Chitase; Erasga, Noe; Auerbach, Bruce; Askew, Valerie; Dillon, Lisa; Hanselman, Jeffrey C.; Lin, Zhiwu; Lu, Gina; Robertson, Andrew; Olsen, Karl; Mertz, Thomas; Sekerke, Catherine; Pavlovsky, Alexander; Harris, Melissa S.; Bainbridge, Graeme; Caspers, Nicole; Chen, Huifen; Eberstadt, Matthias (2007-08-15). "Design and synthesis of hepatoselective, pyrrole-based HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 17 (16): 4538–4544. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.05.096. ISSN 0960-894X. PMID 17574412.
  10. ^ a b c McCoy, Michael (December 8, 2008). "Life After Big Pharma". Chemical & Engineering News. 86 (49). Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  11. ^ Mullen, Douglas G.; McNerny, Daniel Q.; Desai, Ankur; Cheng, Xue-min; DiMaggio, Stassi C.; Kotlyar, Alina; Zhong, Yueyang; Qin, Suyang; Kelly, Christopher V. (2011-04-20). "Design, Synthesis, and Biological Functionality of a Dendrimer-Based Modular Drug Delivery Platform". Bioconjugate Chemistry. 22 (4): 679–689. doi:10.1021/bc100360v. ISSN 1043-1802. PMC 3089944. PMID 21425790.
  12. ^ "Nanoparticle-based battlefield pain treatment moves step closer". Phys.org. September 24, 2009. Retrieved 2020-06-30.