Dr Anthony Curtis

Title: Senior Lecturer in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Director of Undergraduate Studies (Pharmaceutical Science)
Phone: 01782 733040
Email:
Location: Hornbeam Building Room 1.10
Role: Director of Undergraduate Studies (Pharmaceutical Science)
Contacting me: Please email in the first instance

I began my career at Keele University in 1993 in the then Department of Chemistry, now part of the School of Physical and Geographical Sciences. I then joined the Department of Medicines Management in 2005 when I was appointed to the post of Director of Undergraduate Studies (Pharmaceutical Science) and played a major role, alongside others, in the development of the School of Pharmacy and Keele MPharm programme. My academic position is currently Senior Lecturer in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry and I oversee Stages 1 and 2 of the MPharm programme, as well as holding other administrative roles within the School and University. I have wide and varied interests in teaching and research, and was awarded the Keele University award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching in 2008. I have acted as external examiner for PhD degrees across the various disciplines of chemistry and currently play a leading role in the Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry research cluster based in the Lennard-Jones Laboratories at Keele.

My research interest lie at the boundaries between the life and physical sciences, with a focus on synthetic and medicinal chemistry directed towards the synthesis of molecules with biological or medical significance. Current research projects include:

Discovery of autophagy inhibitors: Put simply, autophagy is a process by which cells digest their own components. There is currently significant and growing interest in understanding the regulation of autophagy especially since it plays a role in Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Our interest has been sparked by the observation that autophagy appears to contribute to resistance to several chemotherapies used in the treatment of cancer, thus drugs which inhibit autophagy may have significant therapeutic potential. Preliminary in silico prospecting with Dr Jóhannes Reynisson, a collaborating molecular modeller from the University of Auckland, using the Keele Active Virtual Environment (KAVE), synthetic studies by Dr  Tony Curtis and cell-based assays by Dr Alan Richardson have identified drug candidates.

Organocatalysis: Catalysis of reactions using small, neutral organic molecular templates has been an interest of ours for a number of years, with an initial publication in 2000. Current work is directed towards the synthesis of axially-chiral atropisomeric biaryl systems which possess two- or three-point binding motifs, and the deployment of these in the preparation of biologically-significant chiral molecules.

Current collaborations also include: The development of novel and adjunct therapies for treatment of ovarian cancer (with Dr Alan Richardson, Keele University); the development of heterocyclic constructs for use as antimalarial agents (with Professor Steve Allin, Nottingham Trent University, and Dr Paul Horrocks, Keele University); the development of novel cytotoxic agents and delivery systems (with Dr Clare Hoskins, Keele University)

Selected Publications

  • Robinson E, Nandi M, Wilkinson L, Arrowsmith M, Curtis ADM, Richardson A. 2013. Preclinical Evaluation of Statins as a Treatment for Ovarian Cancer. Gynecologic Oncology, vol. 129, 417-424. doi>
  • Barnett C, Lees M, Curtis ADM, Kong Thoo Lin P, Cheng WP, Hoskins C. 2013. Poly(allylamine) Magnetomicelles for Image Guided Drug Delivery.
  • Curtis ADM and Jennings N. 2008. 1,2,4-Triazoles. In Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III: Five-membered rings: Triazoles, Oxadiazoles, Thiadiazoles and their Fused Carbocyclic Derivatives. KATRITZKY AR, RAMSDEN CA, SCRIVEN EFV, TAYLOR RJK (Eds.). (vol. 5.02). Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.
  • Curtis ADM. 2003. 1,2,4-Triazoles. In Science of Synthesis: 5-Membered Hetarenes with Three or More Heteroatoms. BELLUS D, LEY SV, NOYORI R, REGITZ M, REIDER PJ, SCHAUMANN E, SHINKAI I, THOMAS EJ, TROST BM (Eds.). (vol. 13). Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag.
  • Foley S, Curtis ADM, Hirsch A, Brettreich M, Pelegrin A, Seta P, Larroque C. 2002. Interaction of a water soluble fullerene derivative with reactive oxygen species and model enzymatic systems. FULLERENES NANOTUBES AND CARBON NANOSTRUCTURES, vol. 10(1), 49-67. link> doi>

Full Publications List show

Journal Articles

  • Robinson E, Nandi M, Wilkinson L, Arrowsmith M, Curtis ADM, Richardson A. 2013. Preclinical Evaluation of Statins as a Treatment for Ovarian Cancer. Gynecologic Oncology, vol. 129, 417-424. doi>
  • Barnett C, Lees M, Curtis ADM, Kong Thoo Lin P, Cheng WP, Hoskins C. 2013. Poly(allylamine) Magnetomicelles for Image Guided Drug Delivery.
  • Foley S, Curtis ADM, Hirsch A, Brettreich M, Pelegrin A, Seta P, Larroque C. 2002. Interaction of a water soluble fullerene derivative with reactive oxygen species and model enzymatic systems. FULLERENES NANOTUBES AND CARBON NANOSTRUCTURES, vol. 10(1), 49-67. link> doi>
  • Clews J, Curtis ADM, Malkin H. 2001. The synthesis of C-2-symmetric and axially chiral compounds for recognition and catalysis (vol 56, pg 8735, 2000). TETRAHEDRON, vol. 57(28), 6097. link> doi>
  • Clews J, Curtis ADM, Malkin H. 2000. The synthesis of C-2-symmetric and axially chiral compounds for recognition and catalysis. TETRAHEDRON, vol. 56(44), 8735-8746. link> doi>
  • Curtis ADM, Humphries MJ, Ramsden CA. 2000. Studies Directed Towards Conformationally Restricted Nucleosides. ARKIVOC, vol. 1(3), 218-227.
  • Curtis ADM, McCague R, Ramsden CA, Raza RR. 1999. Preparation, characterisation and slow quantitative dissociation of a novel asymmetric N-unsubstituted dialkylsulfimide. CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, 189-190. link> doi>
  • Curtis ADM. 1997. Novel calix[4]resorcinarene glycosides. TETRAHEDRON LETTERS, vol. 38(24), 4295-4296. link> doi>
  • Cousins RPC, Curtis ADM, Ding WC, Stoodley RJ. 1995. 1,5-Asymmetric Inductions in the Reactions of 2-(2',3',4',6'-Tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy)benzaldehyde with Danishefsky's Diene. Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 36(47), 8689-8692. doi>
  • Kelly TR, Kim MH, Curtis ADM. 1993. Structure Correction and Synthesis of the Naturally Occurring Benzothiazinone BMY 40662. Journal of Organic Chemistry, vol. 58(21), 5855-5857. doi>
  • Curtis ADM, Mears RJ, Whiting A. 1993. The Origin of the Stereoselectivity in the Aldol Reactions of beta-Boronate Carbonyl Derivatives. Tetrahedron, vol. 49(1), 187-198. doi>
  • Beagley B, Curtis ADM, Pritchard RG, Stoodley RJ. 1992. Asymmetric Diels-Alder Reactions. Part 6. Regio- and Stereo-selective Cycloadditions of 5-(2',3',4',6'-Tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-1,4-naphthoquinone. Journal of the Chemical Society; Perkin Transactions 1, 1981-1991. doi>
  • Beagley B, Curtis ADM, Pritchard RG, Stoodley RJ. 1991. Highly Regio- and Stereo-selective Diel-Alder Reactions of 5-(2',3',4',6'-Tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-1,4-naphthoquinone. Chemical Communications, 119-121. doi>
  • Curtis ADM and Whiting A. 1991. Stereoselective Aldol Reactions of beta-Boronate Carbonyl Derivatives. Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 32(11), 1507-1510. doi>

Chapters

  • Curtis ADM and Jennings N. 2008. 1,2,4-Triazoles. In Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III: Five-membered rings: Triazoles, Oxadiazoles, Thiadiazoles and their Fused Carbocyclic Derivatives. KATRITZKY AR, RAMSDEN CA, SCRIVEN EFV, TAYLOR RJK (Eds.). (vol. 5.02). Oxford: Elsevier Ltd.
  • Curtis ADM. 2003. 1,2,4-Triazoles. In Science of Synthesis: 5-Membered Hetarenes with Three or More Heteroatoms. BELLUS D, LEY SV, NOYORI R, REGITZ M, REIDER PJ, SCHAUMANN E, SHINKAI I, THOMAS EJ, TROST BM (Eds.). (vol. 13). Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag.
  • Curtis ADM. 2000. Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation, Addition, Elimination and Substitution Reactions: 1 Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation Using Enzymes. In Biotechnology: Biotransformations II. (vol. 8b). Stuttgart: VCH Verlag.
  • Curtis ADM. 1996. Bicyclic 5-5 Systems: Four Heteroatoms 1:3. In Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry II: Fused Five and Six-membered Rings without Ring Junction Heteroatoms. KATRITZKY AR, REES CW, SCRIVEN EFV (Eds.). (vol. 7). Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd.
  • Curtis ADM. 1996. Bicyclic 6-6 Systems: Four Heteroatoms 1:3. In Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry II: Fused Five and Six-membered Rings without Ring Junction Heteroatoms. KATRITZKY AR, REES CW, SCRIVEN EFV (Eds.). (vol. 7). Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd.