Polyketides, Terpenoids and other compounds from natural sources

Background Information on our Research Objectives: Why we consider natural products to be relevant.

Natural products make good drugs.

The majority of anticancer and anti-infective drugs are either natural products or natural-product analogues and derivatives (Newman & Cragg, 2012).

On top, they provide a fascinatingly complex field of research involving chemical, biological, and pharmaceutical concepts and techniques.


“Our grandparents lived during an ear without effective antibiotics. We don’t want the same situation for our grandchildren” (World Health Organization, 2001)


The world health organization and many other institutions report a dramatic increase of infections by pathogens that are resistant to current antibiotics. Furthermore, cancer rates are increasing, calling for novel therapeutic options.

Academic research on natural products is highly needed to address these challenges.

Our research on polyketides and terpenoids targets the following objectives:

Natural Products require Derivatization to become clinically relevant.

Many natural compounds are in scarce supply: Their availability must be improved.

The following links will give you access to information from the WHO and many other organizations which monitor health-related data worldwide. The data show the need for the development of novel drugs that can fight infectious diseases or cancer. Natural products could help modern medicine in achieving this goal but require intense research efforts.

Helpful review articles on natural product research are listed here: