Ryan Alan Altman
Education
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003
B.S. Chem., Creighton University, Summa Cum Laude, 2008
Research
We are synthetic organic chemists with three predominant interests: (1) Developing innovative synthetic organic reactions for accessing therapeutically relevant drug-like compounds; (2) Exploring physicochemical and biophysical perturbations imparted by fluorinated functional groups and applying these groups towards drug design, and (3) Providing medicinal chemistry support for pharmacological collaborators. In the final area, we actively collaborate with pharmacological and biochemistry experts to develop agents for treating pain, mood and anxiety disorders, aging, and inflammation.
Lab Members
Andrew John Intelli (Graduate Student)
Suvajit Koley (Post-Doctoral Research Associate)
Jacob Peter Sorrentino (Visiting Scholar)
Service and Engagement
Grant Review Panels
NIH, SBCA, Ad Hoc, 2019
NIH, 05 ZRG1 MDCN-R (86) A – Neuroscience AREA Grant Applications, Ad Hoc (5 Panels), 2014 – 2018
Department of Defense CDMRP ID-2 Peer Review Panel – Infectious Disease, 2016
Department of Defense CDMRP PRE-AMR Peer Review Panel – Antimicrobial Resistance, 2016
Journal Editorial Work
ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, Member, Early Career Board Member, 2019 – Present
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, Executive Guest Editor, 2014 – 2015
In-House Training/Workshops
Chemistry of Fluorine: A Survey for the Synthetic Medicinal Chemist”, 1-Day Workshop, Taught at 3 Sites Worldwide, 2018
Honors and Credentials
Scientific Honors
ChemComm Emerging Investigator, 2017
Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2015
NSF CAREER Award, 2015
NIDA Early Career Award in Chemistry of Drug Abuse and Addiction, 2015
Herman Frasch Foundation for Chemical Research, 2012
Teaching Honors
Rho Chi Excellence in Teaching Award, 2018, for a faculty member that substantially influenced student education
Fellowships
NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NSRA Postdoctoral Fellow, 2008 – 2011
NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NSRA Predoctoral Fellow, 2007 – 2008
Pfizer DOC Predoctoral Fellow, 2006 – 2007
MIT Institute Fellow, 2003 – 2004
Other Recognition
Safety Champion, 2009, from Chancellor of UCI to an individual, who has the power to influence health and safety practices, and who uses that influence to help create a culture of safety
Grants
Current
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R35 GM124661)
National Science Foundation (CHE-1455163)
Former
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R33 DA036730)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21 DA036730)
NIGMS COBRE Protein Structure and Function (P30 GM110761)
Herman Frasch Foundation for Chemical Research (701-HF12)
American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (52073-DNI1)
Representative Publications
Synthetic Methodology
de Azambuja, F.; Yang, M.-H.; Feoktistova, T.; Selvaraju, M.; Brueckner, A. C.; Grove, M. A.; Koley, S.; Cheong, P. H.-Y.;* Altman, R. A.* “Connecting Remote C–H Bond Functionalization and Decarboxylative Coupling Using Simple Amines” Nature Chem. 2020, 12, 489–496.
Sorrentino, J. S.; Ambler, B. R.; Altman, R. A.* “Late-Stage Conversion of a Metabolically Labile Aryl Methyl Ether-Containing Natural Product to Fluoroalkyl Analogues” J. Org. Chem. 2020, 85, 5416–5427.
de Azambuja, F.; Lovrien, S. K.; Ross, P.; Ambler, B. R.; Altman, R. A.* “Catalytic One-Step Deoxytrifluoromethylation of Alcohols” J. Org. Chem. 2019, 84, 2061–2071.
Orsi, D. L.; Altman, R. A.* “Exploiting the Unusual Effects of Fluorine in Methodology” Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 7168–7181. Invited “Feature Article” for “Emerging Investigators” Issue
Opioids and Pain
Cassell, R. J.; Sharma K. S.; Su, H.; Cummins, B. R.; Cui, H.; Mores, K. L.; Blaine, A. T.; Altman, R. A.;* van Rijn, R. M.* “The Meta-Position of Phe4 in Leu-enkephalin Regulates Potency, Selectivity, Functional Activity, and Signaling Bias at the Delta and Mu Opioid Receptors” Molecules 2019, 24, 4542.
Altman, R. A.;* Sharma, K. K.; Rajewski, L. G.; Toren, P. C.; Baltezor, M. J.; Pal, M.; Karad, S. N. “Tyr1-Ψ-(Z)CF=CH]-Gly2 Fluorinated Peptidomimetic Improves Distribution and Metabolism Properties of Leu-Enkephalin” ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2018, 9, 1735–1742.
Kynurenine Pathway
Shin, I.; Ambler, B. R.; Wherritt, D.; Griffith, W.; Maldonado, A.; Altman, R. A.; Liu, A.* “Stepwise O-Atom Transfer in Heme-based Tryptophan Dioxygenase: The Role of Substrate Ammonium in the Epoxide Ring Opening” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 4372–4379.