Florence Williams
University of Iowa, IA·Chemistry·Early-career
Two chemical problems run through this lab's work. The first is finding small molecules that can probe and protect the brain in diseases like Alzheimer's.
- Fields
Chemistry
Pharmacology
Neuroscience
- Topics
organic synthesis
medicinal chemistry
small molecule
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Jun 2028
What they work on
- Identify the cellular binding partner of trans-banglene (t-BG), a small molecule that supports neuron survival, and determine where it localizes in cells after binding.
- Characterize how t-BG affects neurotrophic signaling pathways, iron distribution and lipid oxidation in cells and tissues, using biochemical assays and synthesized t-BG derivatives.
- Test t-BG's effects on neuron structure, plasticity and new neuron formation in Alzheimer's model mice carrying human APOE4.
- Use design of experiments to reveal what controls which carbon–oxygen bonds boron trihalide reagents cut, improving selectivity in complex molecules.
- Explore radical-based boron mechanisms for carbon–hydrogen bond functionalization, and test boron reactions for degrading PFAS and depolymerizing epoxy resin plastics.
More about the research
The second is breaking very strong chemical bonds cleanly, so that durable plastics and "forever chemicals" can be taken apart. In both, the lab uses synthetic organic chemistry, making and modifying molecules, as its main tool.
Why it matters
Neurodegenerative diseases affect tens of millions of Americans and are hard to treat. Finding how t-BG works could give researchers an oral tool for studying neuron survival and iron balance, and could reveal new drug targets. The boron chemistry could help break down persistent PFAS pollutants and recover value from epoxy plastics, leaving mostly low-toxicity boric acid behind.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Michel Gagne
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC·Chemistry
Develop site-selective and functional group-directed C-H functionalization reactions, which convert specific carbon-hydrogen bonds into new groups, using light-activated organic photoredox catalysts.
Tomislav Rovis
Columbia University, NY·Chemistry
Develop reactions that build nitrogen-containing rings (heterocycles) directly from simple feedstocks such as alkenes and alkanes, forming carbon–carbon and carbon–nitrogen bonds in one step without later manipulation.
Christopher Graves
Swarthmore College, PA·Chemistry
Synthesize group 13 metal complexes (boron, aluminum, gallium, indium) of tripodal nitroxide ligands, (RTriNOx3–)M, with systematically varied electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents.
The school
University of Iowa: 32 labs on PI Pages, $703M a year on research, 418 research doctorates a year.
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