Dr. Paul Hergenrother from the University of Illinois has created a diverse compound screening library from the synthetic scaffold abietic acid.

Abietic acid is an abundant and widely available compound. Through manipulation of the ring system, the Hergenrother lab has constructed more than 91 novel and diverse compounds to be used in a high throughput drug screen.

Dr. Hergenrother has received numerous honors for his achievements in chemistry and cancer research. The Hergenrother laboratory seeks to use small molecules to identify and validate novel targets for the treatment of intractable diseases, including cancer, degenerative disorders, and multi-drug resistant bacteria.