Chris M. Ireland
Professor and Chair of Medicinal Chemistry
B.A. University of California, San Diego
Ph.D. Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Research
Our program has focused on the discovery and development of novel anticancer agents from a variety of natural products sources. The underlying theme of this program is to integrate discovery of novel biologically-active natural products from organisms that inhabit unique ecological niches with mechanism-directed cancer biology. The rationale behind this approach is that chemical diversity stems from biological diversity and environmental pressures which select for unique genotypes.
Also, new mechanism-based assays which target receptors or pathways that are over- or selectively expressed in cancer cells will further select for novel chemotypes with potential utility in the treatment of human cancers. Over the last two decades this program has been successful in the discovery and characterization of over a hundred unique marine natural products with antitumor properties.
References
1. Alexander MD, Burkart MD, Leonard MS, Portonovo P, Liang B, Ding X, Joullie MM, Gulledge BM, Aggen JB, Chamberlin AR, Sandler J, Fenical WJ, Cui J, Gharpure SJ, Polosukhin A, Zhang HR, Evans PA, Richardson AD, Harper MK, Ireland CM, Vong BG, Brady TP, Theodorakis EA, La Clair JJ (2006) A unified strategy for converting natural products into fluorescent probes. Chem Bio Chem 7:409-16
2. Ratnayake AS, Bugni TS, Veltri CA Skalicky JJ, Ireland CM (2006) Chemical transformation of prostaglandin-A2: a novel series of C-10 halogenated, C-12 hydroxylated prostaglandin-A2 analogues. Org Left. 8:2171-4
3. Ratnayake AS, Bugni TS, Feng X, Harper MK, Skalicky JJ, Mohammed KA, Andjelic CD, Barrows LR, Ireland CM (2006) Theopapuamide, a cyclic depsipeptide from a Papua New Guinea lithistid sponge Theonella swinhoei. J. Nat. Prod. 69:1582-1586
4. Whitson EL, Mala SM, Veltri CA, Bugni TS, de Silva ED, Ireland CM (2006) Oppositines A and B, sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids from a sri lankan Pleurostylia opposita. J. Nat. Prod. 69:1833-1835
5. Lazaro JE, Nitcheu J, Mahmoudi N, Thana JA, Mangalindan GC, Black GP, Howard-Jones AG, Moore CG, Thomas DA, Mazier D, Ireland CM, Concepcion GP, Murphy PJ, Diquet B (2006) Antimalarial activity of crambescidin 800 and synthetic analogues against liver and blood stage of Plasmodium sp. J. Antibiot. 59:583-90
6. Lira SP, Vita-Marques AM, Seleghim MH, Bugni TS, LaBarbera DV, Sette LD, Sponchiado SR, Ireland CM, Berlinck RG (2006) New destruxins from the marine-derived fungus Beauveria felina. J. Antibiot. 59:553-63
7. Dijoux MG, Schnabel PC, Hallock YF, Boswell JL, Johnson TR, Wilson JA, Ireland CM, van Soest R, Boyd MR, Barrows LR, Cardellina JH 2nd (2005) Antitumor activity and distribution of pyrroloiminoquinones in the sponge genus Zyzzya. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 13:6035-44
8. Janso JE, Bernan VS, Greenstein M, Bugni TS, Ireland CM (2005) Penicillium dravuni, a new marine-derived species from an alga in Fiji. Mycologia 97:444-53
9. Richardson AD, Aalbersberg W, Ireland CM (2005) The patellazoles inhibit protein synthesis at nanomolar concentrations in human colon tumor cells. Anti-Cancer Drugs 16:533-41
10. Ratnayake AS Davis RA, Harper MK, Veltri CA, Andjelic CD, Barrows LR, Ireland CM (2005) Aurantosides G, H, and I: three new tetramic acid glycosides from a Papua New Guinea Theonella swinhoei. J. Nat. Prod. 68:104-7
