RAWC Research Lab

Where Interdisciplinary Applied Organic Chemistry Meets Glycobiology and Cancer Immunology

The R. A. Willand-Charnley Group, or better known as the RAWC Lab (pronounced "rock"), performs interdisciplinary research to address the interdisciplinary problems facing society. The work performed in the Willand-Charnley lab spans organic chemistry, chemical biology, glycobiology and cancer immunology. Special emphasis is currently being placed on understanding how various cancers utilize sugar residues and their associated genes to evade the immune system. The information learned is being used to investigate and develop therapeutics.

First page of article in Frontiers in Oncology entitled Early in vitro evidence indicates that deacetylated sialic acids modulate multi-drug resistance in colon and lung cancers via breast cancer resistance protein.

Cancers Use Simple Sugar, Deacetylated-Sialic Acid, to Engage in Multi-Drug Resistance.

Ground breaking work by our lab's @ituffour1 and @halabayoumi concerning the use of deacetylated-Sialic Acids by colon and lung cancer to modulate and engage in multi-drug resistance! #glycotime @FrontiersIn @FrontOncology

Recently Published Work-Cancers Hide in Plain Sight Via Hydroxylation.

See our recent working detailing how colon and lung cancers are able to evade immune cell mediated cytotoxicity via the modulation of O-acetylation.

Recently Published Work

Monoperoxyacetal electrophiles, members of the highly advantageous peroxide functional group, provide a novel route to an important class of reactants, ketene O,O- and N,O-acetals. This cover, created by Christopher Charnley (@ph3_rc), illustrates the synthesis of isolable, heteroaryl ketene acetals through intermolecular etherification of peroxides with lithiated benzofurans, indoles and pyridines.

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Life in Avera

Take a tour of Avera, where research and learning go hand in hand. Avera Health and Science Center opened in July 2010 and features 97,000 square feet of teaching, laboratory and office space as well as 48,600 square feet of research laboratory space. Home to the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and the Chemistry Department. Built and equipped at a cost of $50 million with a lead gift of $15 million from Avera Health. Dedicated Sept. 9, 2010, with Julie Gerberding, former CDC director, as speaker.

Recently Published Work

Ketene N,O-acetals are robust and versatile synthons. We outline the synthesis of stable ketene N,O-acetals in the twenty-first century. In addition, we review recent developments in the chemistry of ketene N,O-acetals, as it applies to the vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol reaction, electrolysis and pericyclic transformations.

Recently Published Work

Alkyl ketene acetals are useful reactants in a variety of synthetic processes, and yet, there are limited routes to their formation as isolable products. We developed a novel method for the successful synthesis and isolation of heteroaryl ketene acetals through intermolecular transfer of alkoxyl (δ+OR) from electrophilic peroxides to lithiated benzofurans, indoles and pyridines.