The Wender lab's research involves studies in chemistry, biology, medicine, and materials science. We are affiliated with the Medical School, Imaging Center, Chemical Biology Program and Molecular Therapeutics Program. A special emphasis is placed on training and research in synthesis, inventing new reactions, and the use of synthesis to address problems of significance in biology and medicine including eradication of HIV/AIDS, overcoming resistant cancer, and treating cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Their studies include:

1. the design and development of new reactions, methods, reagents, and strategies that introduce novel ways of synthesizing molecules of biological or medicinal significance;
2. synthetic and mechanistic organometallic chemistry with an emphasis on new catalytic reactions;
3. mode of action studies on medicinally important leads;
4. drug delivery and novel mechanisms of transport into cells including the design and development of new transporters of drugs and probes;
5. molecular imaging;
6. new therapeutic strategies to address unsolved medical problems;
7. computer modeling and molecular recognition.