Graduate Study in - Chemistry - Johns Hopkins University

Gary H. Posner
Organic Chemistry; Medicinal Chemistry
ghp@jhu.edu
Professor Posner’s research deals generally with development of new synthetic
methods and asymmetric synthesis of natural products, with special emphasis
on design and synthesis of new compounds having beneficial effects on the
quality of human life (i.e., new medicinal agents). Recently, the Posner
research team has prepared a promising analog of vitamin D 3 for treatment of
the skin disease psoriasis, a promising analog of the Chinese medicine qinghaosu for
treatment of malaria, and some new isothiocyanates as promising lead compounds
for prevention of cancer.
Professor Posner is well known for his involvement with organocopper
chemistry as a researcher and writer. His original research publications and his two
review articles and one book on organocopper chemistry have helped to make this
area one of the fastest developing ones in modern synthetic organometallic chemistry.
Recent publications include:
Posner, G.H.; Northrop, J.; Paik, I.-K.; Borstnik, K.; Dolan, P.; Kensler, T.W.; Xie, S.; Shapiro, T. A., “New Chemical and Biological
Aspects of Artemisinin-Derived Trioxane Dimers,” Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2002, 10, 227-232.
Ph.D., Harvard University
Postdoctoral, University
of California, Berkeley
Johns Hopkins University
Distinguished Teaching
Award
Executive Editor,
Tetrahedron Reports
Gardezi, S.A.; Nguyen, C.; Malloy, P.J.; Feldman, D.; Posner, G. H.; Peleg, S., “A Rationale for Treatment of Hereditary Vitamin D
Resistant Rickets with Analogs of 1 -25-Dihydroxyvitamin D 3 ,” J. Biol. Chem. 2001, 276, 29148-29156.
Posner, G. H.; Jeon, H.B.; Parker, M.H.; Krasavin, M.; Paik, I.-K.; Shapiro, T. A., “Antimalarial Simplified 3-Aryltrioxanes: Synthesis
and Preclinical Efficacy/Toxicity Testing in Rodents,” J. Med. Chem., 2001, 44, 3054-3058.
Posner, G.H.; Crawford, K.R.; Peleg, S.; Welsh, J.E.; Romu, S.; Gewirtz, D.A.; Gupta, M.S.; Dolan, P.; Kensler, T.W., “A Non-Calcemic
Sulfone Version of The Vitamin D3 Analog Seocalcitol (EB 1089): Chemical Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Potency
Enhancement of the Anticancer Drug Adriamycin,” Bioorg. Med. Chem., 2001, 9, 2365-2371.
Somjen, D.; Waisman, A.; Lee, J.K.; Posner, G.H.; Kaye, A.M., “A Noncalcemic Analog of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D 3 (JKF)
Upregulates The Induction of Creatine Kinase B by 17-Beta-estradiol in Osteoblast-like ROS 17/2.8 Cells and in Rat Diaphysis,” J.
Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol., 2001, 77, 205-212.
Szpilman, A.M.; Korshin, E.E.; Hoos, R.; Posner, G.H.; Bachi, M.D., “Iron(II)-Induced Cleavage of Antimalarial Beta-Sulfonyl
Endoperoxides. Evidence for the Generation of Potentially Cytotoxic Carbocations,” J. Org. Chem., 2001, 66, 6531-6540.
O’Neill, P.M.; Miller, A.; Bishop, L.P.D.; Hindley, S.; Maggs, J.L.; Ward, S.A.; Roberts, S.M.; Scheinman, F.; Hoos, R.; Posner, G.H.;
Park, B.K., “Synthesis, Antimalarial Activity, Biomimetic Iron(II) Chemistry, and the in vitro Metabolism of Novel, Potent C-10-
Phenoxy Derivatives of Dihydroartemisinin,” J. Med. Chem., 2001, 44, 58-68.
Guyton, K.Z.; Kensler, T.W.; Posner, G.H., “Cancer Chemoprotection Using Natural Vitamin D 3 and Synthetic Analogs,” Annu. Rev.
Pharm. Toxicol. 2001, 41, 421-442.
White, M.C.; Burke, M.; Peleg, S.; Bren, H.; Posner, G.H., “Conformationally Restricted Hybrid Analogs of the Hormone 1,25-
Dihydroxyvitamin D 3 : Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation,” Bioorg. Med. Chem., 2001, 9, 1691-1699.
Posner, G.H.; Halford, B.; Dolan, P.; Kensler, T.W.; White, J.; Jones, G., “Conceptually New Low-Calcemic Oxime Analogs of the
Hormone 1-alpha, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3: Synthesis and Biological Testing,” J. Med. Chem., 2002, 45, 000.
Korshin, E.K.; Hoos, R.; Szpilman, A.M., Konstantinovski, L.; Posner, G.H.; Bachi, M.D., “An Efficient Synthesis of Bridged-Bicyclic
Peroxides Structurally Related to Antimalarial Yingzhaosu A based on Homolytic Co-Oxidation of Thiols and Monoterpenes,”
Tetrahedon, 2002, 58, 2449-2469.
18
Graduate Study in
Chemistry at The Johns Hopkins University