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Dr. Rima Al-awar

Director and Senior Principal Investigator, Medicinal Chemistry

Program Description

Over the last year, Dr. Al-awar has been recruiting scientists and developing the Medicinal Chemistry Platform within OICR. The group is dedicated to the design, synthesis and evaluation of novel anti-tumour agents. The projects within the Medicinal Chemistry Portfolio focus largely on novel targets, with specific chemical probes being created to better understand cancer signaling pathways and potential points of therapeutic intervention. The major goal of the Medicinal Chemistry group is to optimize lead molecules and progress them to drug candidates that can translate into therapeutic benefits to cancer patients.

Contact Information

Telephone
416-673-8577 (Office)

Mailing Address
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
MaRS Centre, South Tower
101 College Street, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5G 0A3

Email
rima.alawaroicr.on.ca

Current

2008 -	Platform Director and Senior Principal Investigator, Medicinal Chemistry, OICR.
2005 -	Head, Route Selection Group, Chemical Process Research and Development at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.

 

Background

2004 - 2005	Head, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
2002 - 2004	Head, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies, Research Triangle Park at Eli Lilly and Company, North Carolina.
2001 - 2002	Research Scientist, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies, Research Triangle Park at Eli Lilly and Company, North Carolina.
2000 - 2001	Research Scientist, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
1995 - 1999	Senior Organic Chemist, Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis.
1995	Postdoctoral fellow, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
1993	PhD, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
1988	BS, Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Selected Publications

1. Comins DL, O'Connor S, and Al-awar RS. Chemistry of Pyridines at Ring Positions. Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry: Third Edition, Vol. 6. Black D, editor. Oxford, England: Pergamon Press; 2008.
2. Al-awar RS, Shih C. The isolation, characterization, and development of a novel class of potent antimitotic macrocyclic depsipeptides: the cryptophycins. Cragg GM, Kingston DGI, Newman DJ, editors. Anticancer Agents from Natural Products. CRC Press. 2005; 151-169.
3. Liang J, Moore RE, Moher ED, Munroe JE, Al-awar RS, Hay DA, Varie DL, Zhang TY, Aikins JA, Martinelli MJ, Shih C, Ray JE, Gibson LL, Vasudevan V. Polin L, White K, Kushner J, Simpson C, Pugh S, Corbett TH. Cryptophycins-309, 249 and other cryptophycin analogs: Preclinical efficacy studies with mouse and human tumors. Investigational New Drugs. 2005; 23(3): 213-224.
4. Al-awar RS, Ray JE, Hecker KA, Joseph S, Huang J, Shih C, Brooks HB, Spencer CD, Watkins SA, Schultz RM, Considine EL, Faul MM, Sullivan KA, Kolis SP, Carr M A, Zhang F. Preparation of Novel Aza-1,7-annulated Indoles and their Conversion to Potent Indolocarbazole Kinase Inhibitors. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2004; 14(15), 3925-3928.
5. Al-awar, RS, Ray JE, Schultz RM, Andis Sherri L, Kennedy JH, Moore RE Liang J, Golakoti T, Subbaraju GV, Corbett TH. A Convergent Approach to Cryptophycin 52 Analogues: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Novel Series of Fragment A Epoxides and Chlorohydrins. J. Med. Chem. 2003; 46(14): 2985-3007.