Simpson, Johnathon

Throughout history, natural products have produced a plethora of biologically active compounds that have established applications in medicine, biology, and pharmacy. The exploration for improved cytotoxic agents has continued to be a crucial path in natural products drug discovery. The focal point of this thesis sheds light on the biosynthetic relationship between the two distinct classes of briarane diterpenoids, the γ-lactone briarane and the briareolate esters. Additionally, this study elaborates on the discovery and elucidation of structurally unique secondary metabolites from the gorgonian coral Briareum asbestinum.
The first chapter of this thesis provides a review of the development and discovery of diverse
secondary metabolites. In addition, this chapter describes the role of natural products in drug discovery and summarizes the research progress in marine natural product chemistry in conjunction with a detailed overview of the current marine-derived pharmaceuticals.