EPSRC KT Fellows in the CCIBM The CCIBM is employing EPSRC Knowledge Transfer (KT) Fellows to exploit the expertise of associated academics and researchers in projects working in collaboration with pharmaceutical, agrochemical and biotechnology companies. We have a new model for collaboration in which KT Fellows can act as a gateway to the whole range of world leading expertise at the University of Manchester. The first KT Fellow, Dr. Matthew D. Helm, is employed in the CCIBM until August 2012 and his role is to conduct short to medium term research projects (3-6 months) which could be stand alone short term projects or preliminary investigations for longer term projects. We are hoping that this novel highly flexible system will appeal greatly to a large cross-section of the industrial scientific community and allow the University of Manchester to enter new fields of research.

Dr. Matthew D. Helm, Biography:

Matt obtained an MChem degree from University of Sheffield in 2003 before completing a PhD under the guidance of Prof. Joseph P. A. Harrity on "the synthesis of heteroaromatic boronic esters via cycloaddition reactions of alkynylboronates". This project was in collaboration with Syngenta and involved the synthesis and evaluation of herbicide analogues.

In 2007, Matt received a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to conduct postdoctoral research into "the synthesis and reactivity of novel organometallics" with Prof. Dr. Paul Knochel in Munich.

 

In 2008 He return to the UK as an EPSRC PDRA working with Prof. David. J. Procter on "the syntheis of anti-bacterial natural product pleuromutilin". Here the tricyclic core was constructed in a single step using a Sm(II) iodide mediated reaction cascade.

 

Publications:

• "Synthesis of Highly Substituted Pyridazines through Alkynyl Boronic Ester Cycloaddition Reactions" M. D. Helm, J. E. Moore, A. Plant, and J. P. A. Harrity Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 3889.
• "A Novel Approach to Functionalised Pyridazinone Arrays" M. D. Helm, A. Plant, and J. P. A. Harrity Org. Biomol. Chem. 2006, 4, 4278.
• "The Participation of Alkynylboronates in Inverse Electron Demand [4+2] Cycloadditions: A Mechanistic Study" E. Gomez-Bengoa, M. D. Helm, A. Plant, and J. P. A. Harrity J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 2691.
• "A Sydnone Cycloaddition Route to Pyrazole Boronic Esters" D. L. Browne, M. D. Helm, A. Plant, and J. P. A. Harrity Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 8656.
• "Substituent Effects in Carboni-Lindsey Reactions of 1,2,4,5-Tetrazines and Aryl-substituted Alkynylboronates" M. D. Helm, A. Plant, and J. P. A. Harrity Synlett 2007, 2885.
• "Preparation of silyl substituted crotylzinc reagents and their highly diastereoselective addition to carbonyl compounds" M. D. Helm, P. Mayer and P. Knochel Chem. Commun. 2008, 1916.
• "Convenient Preparation of Polyfunctional Aryl Magnesium Reagents by a Direct Magnesium Insertion in the Presence of LiCl" F. M. Piller, P. Appukkuttan, A. Gavryushin, M. D. Helm and P. Knochel Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 6802.
• "SmI2-mediated dialdehyde cyclization cascades" M. D. Helm, D. Sucunza, M. Da Silva, M. Helliwell, D. J. Procter Tetrahedron Lett. 2009, 50, 3224.
• "SmI2-mediated dialdehyde 'radical then aldol' cyclization cascades: a feasibility study" M. D. Helm, M. Da Silva, D. Sucunza, M. Helliwell, D. J. Procter Tetrahedron 2009, 65, 10816.
• "A Dialdehyde Cyclization Cascade: An Approach to Pleuromutilin" M. D. Helm, M. Da Silva, D. Sucunza, T. J. K. Findley and D. J. Procter Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, 9315.

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