Richmond Sarpong

Richmond Sarpong (born 23 April, 1974) is a Ghanaian-American chemist who is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Sarpong works on natural product synthesis to better understand biological systems and allow for the development of novel therapeutics. He was awarded the 2019 Mukaiyama and A.R. Katritzky Awards.

Richmond Sarpong
Born (1974-04-23) April 23, 1974
Alma materPrinceton University
Macalester College
Scientific career
InstitutionsCalifornia Institute of Technology
University of California, Berkeley
ThesisA study of enediyne functional analogs : model frameworks based on calicheamicin and esperamicin (2001)

Early life and education

Sarpong was born in Bechem and spent his early childhood in Bolgatanga, Ghana.[1][2] His father is a medical doctor who worked with the World Health Organization.[3] It was in his childhood in Africa that he first became interested in a career in chemistry, when he saw how effective ivermectin was in combatting river blindness (onchocerciasis).[4] The drug had been taken to Africa for free by Merck & Co., and Sarpong got his hands on the Merck index, an encyclopedia of chemicals and spent his free time imagining how chemistry could change people's lives.[3] Alongside Ghana, Saprong grew up in Zambia and Botswana, where he saw the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa.[1][5] Intent on studying medicine, Sarpong moved to the United States in 1991. He completed his undergraduate studies at Macalester College, where he was an undergraduate research scholar with Rebecca Hoye. He was a graduate student with Martin Semmelhack at Princeton University, where he worked on enediyne functional analogues.[6] After receiving his Ph.D., Sarpong moved to the California Institute of Technology where he joined the laboratory of Brian Stoltz as a postdoc. While there, he worked alongside graduate student Neil Garg to first synthesize the phosphate inhibitor Dragmacidin D.[7]

Research and career

In 2004, Sarpong started his independent scientific career at the University of California, Berkeley.[8] The Sarpong laboratory specialize in the synthesis of bioactive organic molecules, with a focus on the natural products of flora and fauna.[9] He has developed new synthesis strategies for alkaloids, a family of natural medicines that includes quinine and morphine.[4] In particular, Sarpong is interested in natural product synthesis for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.[5]

In 2017, Sarpong delivered a TED talk The face of disease in Sub-Saharan Africa, where he encouraged his audience to reevaluate the face of disease in Africa.[10][11] He serves on the editorial boards of Organic Syntheses, Accounts of Chemical Research and Synlett.[12] Sarpong is committed to improving diversity within the chemistry community, and has supported many scholars in the early stages of their academic careers.[5]

Awards and honours

Selected publications
  • Ro, Dae-Kyun; Paradise, Eric M.; Ouellet, Mario; Fisher, Karl J.; Newman, Karyn L.; Ndungu, John M.; Ho, Kimberly A.; Eachus, Rachel A.; Ham, Timothy S.; Kirby, James; Chang, Michelle C. Y. (2006). "Production of the antimalarial drug precursor artemisinic acid in engineered yeast". Nature. 440 (7086): 940–943. Bibcode:2006Natur.440..940R. doi:10.1038/nature04640. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 16612385. S2CID 3199654.

References
  1. "RSC Synthetic Organic Chemistry Award 2015 Winner". www.rsc.org. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  2. "Organic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Richmond Sarpong, University of California, Berkeley | Department of Chemistry". chemistry.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  3. "Reactions – Richmond Sarpong : The Sceptical Chymist". blogs.nature.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  4. Drahl, Carmen. "Why The 2015 Nobel Prize In Medicine Was The Boyhood Inspiration For A Chemist From Africa". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  5. "Faculty Mentor Richmond Sarpong Supports His Amgen Scholars". Amgen Scholars. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  6. Sarpong, Richmond (2001). A study of enediyne functional analogs: model frameworks based on calicheamicin and esperamicin (Thesis). OCLC 49373198.
  7. Garg, Neil K.; Sarpong, Richmond; Stoltz, Brian M. (2002-11-01). "The First Total Synthesis of Dragmacidin D". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 124 (44): 13179–13184. doi:10.1021/ja027822b. ISSN 0002-7863. PMID 12405846.
  8. "Strategies and Methods for Chemical Synthesis Inspired by Natural Products". Columbia University. 2018-03-29.
  9. "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Richmond Sarpong". Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  10. "The face of disease in Sub-Saharan Africa | Richmond Sarpong | TEDxBerkeley | College of Chemistry". chemistry.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  11. "TEDxBerkeley | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  12. "OrgSyn Board". www.orgsyn.org. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  13. "Richmond Sarpong | ACS Division of Organic Chemistry". Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  14. "Major Awards & Honors | College of Chemistry". chemistry.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  15. "Richmond Sarpong awarded the A.R. Katritzky Junior Award in Heterocyclic Chemistry | College of Chemistry". chemistry.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  16. "Richmond Sarpong receives the SSOCJ Mukaiyama award | College of Chemistry". chemistry.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  17. S, Robert; ers; April 23, Media relations|; 2020April 23; 2020 (2020-04-23). "Nine faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences". Berkeley News. Retrieved 2020-08-13.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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