Research

In the Narayan Lab, we leverage the powerful reactivity and selectivity of enzymes from natural product pathways in concise approaches to natural products and their analogs. Projects are initiated with the identification of an enzyme with synthetic potential unmatched by chemocatalytic methods and continue by demonstrating the substrate scope and potential applications of the biocatalyst including the synthesis of biologically active molecules. Synthetic efforts feed biological studies on activity, which inform the subsequent selection of synthetic targets.

I. Identify the chemical function of novel enzymes

II. Develop biocatalytic methods that address challenging synthetic transformations

III. Chemoenzymatic synthesis of complex molecules