Prof. Stephen J Lippard

Professor Lippard's research activities span the fields of inorganic chemistry, biological chemistry, and neurochemistry. Included are studies to understand and improve platinum anticancer drugs, the synthesis of diiron complexes as models for carboxylate-bridged diiron metalloenzymes, structural and mechanistic investigations of bacterial multicomponent monooxygenases, and investigations of inorganic neurotransmitters and signal transducers, especially nitric oxide and zinc.

Lippard and biologist Michael Hemann are collaborating to explore the potential of osmium-containing compounds as an alternative to the platinum-based anticancer drugs used in the clinic. In a recent study published in The Journal of the American Chemical Society, the team describes the molecular design of a versatile series of biologically active osmium-based compounds. Minor modifications of the chemical structure of these compounds allow for the fine-tuning of the cellular responses evoked by these small molecules, enabling the targeting of different cancer hallmarks.