Michael Organ's Biography

Michael Organ, Professor, York University

Dr. Organ's research focuses on synthetic efficiency and more specifically on the application of tandem-reaction methodology to improve synthetic efficiency. This methodology, focused initially on carbon-carbon bond forming methods, has been expanded to include carbon-heteroatom bond formation. This has led to his group undertaking and completing the synthesis of a number of natural product targets. Further, progress in tandem-reaction chemistry involving heteroatoms has also allowed Dr. Organ's group initiate a program in the synthesis of pharmaceutically-relevant compounds. He has pioneered the development of a new, highly efficient Pd catalyst system (patented) that has been commercialized. Pd-PEPPSI-IPr, one of the main catalysts in this family, had a record launch in 2006 for Sigma-Aldrich, the world’s largest fine chemical supplier for the research market. A new catalyst in this family, Pd-PEPPSI-IPent, was just introduced in February of 2009 and it is expected to supplant all currently marketed Pd-NHC catalysts because of its high reactivity, especially with the coupling of sterically and electronically hindered substrates. Dr. Organ has also developed the concept of microwave-assisted, continuous flow organic synthesis (patented) that is also being commercialized. Dr. Organ has developed his research into two profitable spin-off companies. He has established productive collaborations with a dozen other academic laboratories and has had solid, funded collaborations with more than 10 companies. He has published over 110 manuscripts, filed 8 patent applications (several of which have been issued), given over 300 invited lectures and provided 20 short courses for the American Chemical Society on Combinatorial Chemistry in Asia, Europe and North America. He sits on the advisory boards or think-tanks of Biotage Inc., the Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry, the Journal of Flow Chemistry, and the advisory board of the University of Kansas Center for Combinatorial Methods and Library Development. Dr. Organ is an SFI Walton Fellow (2002), a Xerox Foundation Fellow (2007), a Merck-Frosst Canadian Academic Development Program Fellow (2007), the Naeja Pharmaceuticals Lecturer at University of Alberta (2008), a JSPS Fellow (Japan, 2010), and an Agilent Laboratories Fellow (2011).