Our research has a strong focus on organo-fluorine chemistry, and particularly organo-fluorine chemistry focused on bio-organic and chemical biology research. We are interested in the influence of the fluorine atom on the conformation and behaviour of biomolecules. We also have a strong interest in enzymatic fluorination (the fluorinase) and how that can be applied to biotechnological solutions, through molecular biology, towards the production of organisms that can produce organo-fluorine compounds by fermentation (eg. antibiotics). We have a strong interest in synthetic organic chemistry and we are focussing on the synthesis of new motifs in organo-fluorine chemistry which can be used in a variety of performance molecules.

These research areas require that the research group has activities in organic synthesis, protein chemistry and molecular biology. Some of the molecules we are currently working with are shown below.

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS

1. H. Deng, S.L. Cobb, A. McEwan, R. P. McGlinchey, J.H. Naismith, D.O’Hagan, D. A Robinson, J.B Spencer ‘The fluorinase from Streptomyces cattleya is also a chlorinase.’ Angew Chemie, 2006, 45, 759 – 762.
2. H. Deng, S.L. Cobb, A. D Gee, A. Lockhart, L. Martarello, R. P. McGlinchey, D. O’Hagan, M. Onega ‘Fluorinase mediated C-¹⁸F bond formation, an enzymatic tool for PET labelling’ Chem. Commun, 2006, 652 – 654.
3. Fanglu Huang, Stephen F Haydock, Dieter Spiteller, Tatiana Mironenko, Tsung-Lin Li, David O’Hagan, Peter F Leadlay and Jonathan B Spencer, ‘Characterisation of a locus involved in fluorometablite biosynthesis in Streptomyces cattleya,’ Chem & Biol, 2006, 13, 475 - 484.
4. N. E. J. Gooseman, D. O`Hagan, A. M. Z. Slawin, A. M Teale, D. J. Tozer, R. J. Young, ‘The intramolecular β-fluorine…ammonium interaction in 4- and 8-membered rings.’ Chem Commun 2006, 3190-3192.
5. D. O’Hagan, H. S. Rzepa, M. Schüler, A. M. Z. Slawin.’The vicinal difluoro motif. The synthesis and conformation of erythro- and threo- diastereoisomers of 1,2-difluorodiphenylethanes, 2,3-difluorosuccinic acids and their derivatives.’ Beilstein J. Org. Chem., 2006, 2, 19.