Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Receives National Institutes of Health Grant

A Texas Tech University professor of chemistry and biochemistry received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R03 grant for new work with painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications. Guigen Li was awarded the grant for $395,400 for two years. The grant, titled “Searching for Novel Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Agents,” will focus on the design and production of new medicines using new synthetic methods developed by Li’s research group. The research centers on developing new methods for preparing multiple molecules of the same compound to contain amine groups, but with slightly different structures. These new molecules have potential activity as painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents. Li and his collaborators have achieved 130 publications based on his research, with principal interests in asymmetric synthesis, asymmetric catalysis, and bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. In the past, he has been supported by the NIH twice and the Robert Welch Foundation four times as the principal investigator, and the National Science Foundation twice as co-principal investigator. Find Texas Tech news, experts and story ideas at www.media.ttu.edu. CONTACT: Guigen Li, professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, (806)742-3015, or guigen.li@ttu.edu.