Saturday, January 11, 2014

Phosphate-modified nucleotides, DNA sequencing, etc

Well, in those years after 2000, the raging race was on for new DNA sequencing platforms. We know click chemistry concept came into publications around that time as well. 

The earliest work combining these two came in 2008. NTPs were modified at terminal phosphates with click chemistry groups such as terminal alkene, terminal alkyne, and azide. Click chemistry was performed to generate libraries used as polymerase substrates in DNA sequencing platforms. Those were published as patent applications: 

WO 2009/091847 (PCT/US2009/031027); WO 2009/105077 (PCT/US2008/008612); US 2001/0165652. 

In the same spirit / approach, here is the most recent piece of work:

Chem Comm, 12/20/2013  Advance Article for 2014
"Synthesis of r-labeled nucleotide 5'-triphosphates using click chemistry". 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Nobel Prize or not

Well, the 2013 Nobel Prize went to computational chemistry. 
Entirely deserving.

The prediction of Click Chemistry in the race settles.
Probably too much prediction going on in this "tricky" business: 
Thomson Reuters, Sciencewatch: Modular click chemistry 
Radio "The voice of Russia": Complex reactions just a click away
The San Diego Union - Tribune: Scripps chemist vies for second Nobel

The field should contribute to something more significant in application, discovery of some drugs, some important materials, etc. 
A ton of publications do not necessarily signify the chemistry. Needless to say, some publications do not really reflect the philosophy / spirit of click chemistry. 
Fairly speaking, the field is too young for a Nobel Prize. Likely someday it will but no more predictions please. 

Let us focus on some really significant work.