The substances introduced by
Rice synthetic organic chemist K.C. Nicolaou are similar in their cancer - fighting mechanism to paclitaxel, the drug for which he is best - known, but have superior properties.
«These encouraging results should serve as a spark for another advancement in
organic synthesis,» says K. C. Nicolaou, a
synthetic chemist at
Rice University, adding that Chematica could increase speed and productivity in chemistry labs, especially if paired with automated synthesis machines.