I am in charge of the synthetic organic chemistry program within the Molecular Pharmacology Group at The Department of Medicinal Chemistry. The main emphasis of our research is the design and synthesis of new receptor ligands to be used as pharmacological tools for elucidating the function of receptors, their mechanism of activation etc. Our research falls into two distinct areas:

i) Synthesis of small molecules (Medicinal Chemistry)

ii) Synthesis of peptidomimetics / foldamers (Chemical Biology)

The research projects are carried out in close collaboration with computational chemists and pharmacologists within the group. Two examples of current research projects are described briefly below. Prospective students can read more about the group and our Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology program by clicking here.

Potential national/international students are encouraged to contact me regarding joining the synthesis team (please allow up to one week for email responses).

Medicinal Chemistry on the GPRC6A Receptor – a Human G-protein Coupled Receptor With Unknown Physiological Function

In 2005 the Molecular Pharmacology Group cloned a novel G-protein coupled receptor termed GPRC6A. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) are implicated in many important physiological processes and it is likely that GPRC6A also regulates important physiological function(s) that are involved in pathophysiology. Using a combination of molecular modelling, pharmacology and medicinal chemistry, we are developing selective ligands for GPRC6A that allows us to perform detailed pharmacological studies of the receptor. Ultimately, we aim to initiate a drug discovery program targeting the pathophysiology associated with the receptor.

Delineating the Molecular Mechanism of Action of the β2 Adrenergic Receptor Using a Peptidomimetic Approach

The aim of the β2 adrenergic receptor (B2AR) project is to gain a deeper understanding of the function and signalling of B2AR.  We hope that new insights into B2ARs molecular mechanism of action will allow us to  design allosteric modulators for B2AR with improved potency and selectivity.

B2AR was the first ligand-activated GPCR to be cloned. ß2AR is one of the most studied GPCRs in terms of determinants for orthosteric ligand binding, receptor activation and signalling. Recently, the crystal structure of ß2AR binding to the G-protein Gαs was reported by the laboratory of Brian Kobilka at Stanford University. Due to the available methods and detailed structural information for ß2AR, it represents a unique tool GPCR to study the molecular mechanisms of allosteric modulation and GPCR activation.

Click here to see Daniel Sejer Pedersen's CV.

Our most recent publications can be found below. For a complete list of publications, including patents, popular science etc. click here.

Azide- and Alkyne-Derivatised alpha-Amino Acids, H. Johansson and D. Sejer Pedersen, Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2012, Accepted.

Selective inhibition of Biotin Protein Ligase from Staphylococcus aureus, T.P. Soares da Costa, W. Tieu, N.R. Pendini, M.Y. Yap, S.W. Polyak, D. Sejer Pedersen, R. Morona, J.D. Turnige, J.C. Wallace, M.C.J. Wilce, G.W. Booker, A.D. Abell, J. Biol. Chem., 2012, In Press.

5-Benzylidenerhodanine and 5-benzylidene-2,4-thiazolidinedione based antibacterials, O. Zvarec, S.W. Polyak, W. Tieu, K. Kuan, H. Dai, D. Sejer Pedersen, R. Morona, L. Zhang, G.W. Booker, A.D. Abell, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 2012, 22 (8), 2720-2722.

Amino Triazolo Diazepines (Ata) as Constrained Histidine Mimics, K. Buysse, J. Farard, A. Nikolaou, G. Vauquelin, D. Sejer Pedersen, D. Tourwé, S. Ballet, Org. Lett., 2011, 13 (24), 6468-6471.

Proof of concept for inter-GPCR-family ligand inference: Chemogenomic discovery of the first selective allosteric antagonists at the GPRC6A receptor, D.E. Gloriam, P. Wellendorph, L.D. Johansen, A.R.B. Thomsen, D. Sejer Pedersen, H. Bräuner-Osborne, Chem. Biol., 2011, 18 (11), 1489-1498.

New cholesterol esterase inhibitors based on rhodanine and thiazolidinediones scaffolds, S. Heng, W. Tieu, S. Hautmann, K. Kuan, D. Sejer Pedersen, M. Pietsch, M. Gütschow, A. D. Abell, Bioorg. Med. Chem., 2011, 19, 7453-7463.

1,2,3-Triazoles in Peptidomimetic Chemistry, D. Sejer Pedersen, and A.D. Abell, Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2011, 13, 2399-2411.