History

Since its creation in 1988, the Bioorganic Chemistry Research Group (Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, University of Oviedo) has carried out research and training activities in the field of biotransformations, using enzymes as biocatalysts for the selective preparation of optically active compounds with high added value with application in pharmaceutical and synthetic chemistry. The preparation of derivatives of natural products, such as nucleosides, nucleotides and vitamin D derivatives, is another area in which we focus our attention, using a wide variety of sustainable technologies such as flow chemistry or solid phase experiments.

For more than 30 years, Professor Vicente Miguel Gotor Santmaría led the lines of work of the group, until his retirement and passed through the figures of Professor Emeritus, and Honorary Professor Emeritus.

                                                                           

The group has extensive experience in the resolution of synthetic drug precursors, using enzymatic reactions and through the action of very diverse classes of enzymes (alcohol dehydrogenases, lipases, oxynitrilases, transaminases...). As a consequence of this, the preparation of products of interest and the optimization of the corresponding processes have been carried out, licensing various patents in collaboration with pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnological companies.

Our Bioorganic Chemistry group, in collaboration with the Microbiology group of Professor José Antonio Fernández Salas from our same university, created in 2005 the first spin-off of the University of Oviedo, called EntreChem SL.

It is worth mentioning the basic research that is carried out in our research group, since its creation, around 60 Doctoral Theses have been defended. Most of the PhD researchers emanating from the group continue today, developing professional tasks in various scientific disciplines and research centers.

During its more than 30 years of history, the members of the Bioorganic Chemistry group have published more than 400 publications (articles, communications, bibliographic reviews...), having organized national and international scientific congresses such as:

- BIOTRANS 2007. 8th International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations (July 2007)

- IX RANN 2013. IX Meeting of Nucleic Acids and Nucleosides (June 2013)

- JEB 2018. II Spanish Conference on Biocatalysis (June 2018)

- BSWOC 2018. VI Brazil-Spain Workshop on Organic Chemistry (October 2018).

 

Picture 2017

Picture 2014