Darren W. Engers, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Senior Director of Medicinal Chemistry

B.S.	Univeristy of Delaware, 1998 Chemistry
Ph.D.	University of Texas at Austin, 2006 Organic Chemistry

Phone: (615) 322-7415
Fax: (615) 778-1414
Email: darren.engers@vanderbilt.edu
Location: Cool Springs Innovation Park

Biosketch and Research Interests

Mailing Address:
Vanderbilt University/WCNDD
Cool Springs Innovation Park
393 Nichol Mill Lane, Room 1011
Franklin, TN 37067

Darren Engers is a Research Instructor who joined the Lindsley research group in 2008, after completing his post-doctoral studies with Prof. Gary Sulikowski. His research interests focus on medicinal chemistry, drug discovery for CNS disorders and is currently working on the positive allosteric modulators for mGluR4 receptors.

Darren Engers received his B.S degree in Chemistry at the University of Delaware where he worked with Prof. P. Andrew Evans on the synthesis of the B ring of Mycalamide A using mercury-mediated oxidative Rubottom rearrangement. Upon graduation, he began his career as a Research Assistant at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (RPR), Collegeville, PA. While working at RPR, he was involved with traditional single compound synthesis, as well as, parallel solution and solid phase synthesis, including Irori technology; and the synthesis of focused libraries such as sulfonamides, amides from alpha-amino lactams.

Darren Engers obtained his doctoral training from the University of Texas at Austin in Organic Chemistry. Under Prof. Brian L. Pagenkopf, his work focused on the synthesis of a complex polyoxygenated 16-membered macrolactone, Peloruside A, with an emphasis on efficient routes, catalytic reactions and Chiron based strategies. He completed his post-doctoral studies at Vanderbilt University.

Selected Publications

Engers, D.W.; Niswender, C.M.; Weaver, C.D.; Jadhav, S.; Menon, U.; Conn, P.J.; Lindsley, C.W.; Hopkins, C.R. ‘Synthesis and Evaluation of a Series of Heterobiaryl Amides that are Centrally Penetrant Metabotropic glutamate Receptor 4 (mGluR4) Positive Allosteric Modulators (PAMs)’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2009); 52(14): 4115-4118. {DOI: 10.1021/jm9005065; PMID: 19469556}

Engers, D.W.; Rodriguez, A.L.; Oluwatola, O.; Hammond, A.S.; Venable, D.F.; Williams, R.; Sulikowski, G.A.; Conn, P.J.; Lindsley, C.W. ‘Synthesis, SAR and unanticipated pharmacological profiles of analogs of the mGluR5 ago-potentiator ADX-47273’ ChemMedChem (2009); 4(4): 505-511. {DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.200800357; PMID: 19197923}

Zhao, H.; Engers, D.W.; Morales, C.L.; Pagenkopf, B.L. ‘Reaction of Alanes and Aluminates with Trisubstituted Epoxides. Development of a Stereospecific Alkynylation at the More Hindered Carbon’ Tetrahedron (2007); 63(36): 8774-8780. {DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2007.06.036}

Levell, J.; Astles, P.; Eastwood, P.; Cairns, J.; Houille, O.; Aldous, S.; Merriman, G.; Whitely, B.; Pribish, J.; Czekaj, M.; Liang, G.; Maignan, S.; Guilloteau, J.P.; Dupuy, A.; Davidson, J.; Harrison, T.; Morley, A.; Waston, S.; Fenton, G.; McCarthy, C.; Romano, J.; Mathew, R.; Engers, D.W.; Gardyan, M.; Sides, K.; Kwong, J.; Tsay, J.; Rebello, S.; Shen, L.; Wang, J.; Luo, Y.; Giardino, O.; Kim, H.K.; Smith, K.; Pauls, H. ‘Structure Based Design of 4-(3-Aminomethylphenyl)piperdinyl-1-Amides: Novel, Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Inhibitors of βII Tryptase.’ Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry (2005); 13(8): 2859-2872. {DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2005.02.014; PMID: 15781396}

Engers, D.W.; Bassindale, M.J.; Pagenkopf, B.L. ‘Synthesis of the C(1)-C(12) Segment of Peloruside A by an a-Benzyloxymethyl Ketone Aldol Strategy’ Organic Letters (2004); 6(4): 663-666. {DOI: 10.1021/ol036393z; PMID: 14986944}

Salvino, J.M.; Kumar, N.V.; Airey, J.; Kiesow, T.; Crawford, K.; Mathew, R.; Paul, K.; Drew, M.D.; Engers, D.; Orton, E.; Krolikolski, D.; Herpin, T.; Gardyan, M.; McGeehan, G.; Labaudininiere, R. ‘Polymer-Supported Tetrafluorophenol: A New Activated Resin for Chemical Library Synthesis’ Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry (2000); 2(6): 691-697. {DOI: 10.1021/cc0000491; PMID: 11126297}