Department of Medicinal Chemistry

Research Interests

Natural products, antibiotics, antivirals, antimutagenics/ chemopreventive agents, antitumor agents.

The Mitscher group has a long-term interest in the identification through directed screening of pharmacologically active natural products, determination of their structural formulae, evaluation of their therapeutic potential and synthesis (partial and total) of analogues in attempts to improve their therapeutic potential. In the quinolone antibacterial field, his group is exploring the molecular mode of action and resistance mechanisms through synthesis and evaluation against purified enzyme (DNA gyrase) of this important class of drugs.

He is also active in combinatorial chemistry methodologies

Professor Mitscher has received the Smissman Award and Medicinal Chemistry Award (ACS), Research Achievement Award (APhA), Volweiler Award (AACP), the Higuchi-Simons Award (KU), and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as chair of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry from 1975-1993, and has held posts in numerous professional organizations. He consults for several major pharmaceutical firms, and is on the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Heterocycles, the Journal of Antibiotics, Biorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Biorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters, and the Saudi Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.