The research of an NIU organic chemistry professor on the synthesis of natural and unnatural products has been attracting some attention.

Gaining support for his work involving the synthesis of antitumeric, antileukemic and antibiotic agents, NIU Assistant Professor John Peterson received a grant of $35,000 from the American Cancer Society Illinois Division for his research.

In addition he has been awarded a two-year, $18,000 starter grant from the American Chemical Society, with a supplemental $2,000 for support of a student research fellow and $15,000 from the Milheim Foundation for Cancer Research. Peterson also was awarded a one-year $29,849 grant from the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation for research on a class of chemotherapeutic compounds.

Working with five graduate students and five undergraduates, Peterson’s team is one of several across the country working in this area of research.

“The goal of our research program is to develop efficient preparations of molecules exhibiting biological activity—for example, compounds useful for the treatment of infection, cancer or heart disease,” Peterson said.

Peterson said because pharmaceutical companies must isolate these compounds from natural sources or find a chemical route to them, companies always are looking for better chemical procedures for making drugs.

e is in the process of developing a new synthetic procedure which is more efficient and less expensive than current processes.

“What I hope comes out of this is that, in addition to our new chemical routes, we develop the ability to predict new and even better anticancer agents,” Peterson said.