Dr. Yudin is one of the pioneers in the design and synthesis of new bioactive molecules. Currently, the main focus of research in the Yudin lab is to develop a new generation of macrocyclic molecules that can effectively interrogate protein-protein interactions. Yudin’s work over the past three years is his most important contribution to science. Since joining the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto, Dr. Yudin has received a number of awards. Last year alone Yudin was the recipient of the 2010 Canadian Society of Chemistry Merck-Frosst Center for Therapeutic Research Award and the 2010 Rutherford Medal of the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Yudin has been a highly valued consultant for Applied Biosystems (San Francisco, CA), Affinium Pharmaceuticals (Toronto, Ontario), DexCom (San Diego, CA), Schering-Plough (Clark, New Jersey), and Ensemble Therapeutics (Boston, MA). Earlier in his career, Dr. Yudin has founded Ylektra, a company that produced the world’s first automated robot for parallel electrosynthesis. This company was acquired by Affinium Pharmaceuticals.

Andrei K. Yudin has pioneered the design of new chemical transformations using powerful amphoteric reagents developed in his laboratory. In addition to significant fundamental discoveries, his lab is making tangible contributions to chemical industry. In 2009, Sigma-Aldrich used his method and created a wide range of reagents now known as the Yudin amino aldehydes. The foundational technology was licensed to Sigma-Aldrich. The corresponding reagents are sold world-wide as part of Sigma-Aldrich’s product portfolio and are now being used by a number of labs both in industry and in academia.

Coauthor of over 80 independent publications and 7 patents, Dr. Yudin recently edited two books for Wiley-VCH entitled “Aziridines and Epoxides in Organic Synthesis” and “Transition Metal-Catalyzed Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Formation” – areas of his current interests.

Professor Andrei K. Yudin obtained his B.Sc. degree at Moscow State University and his Ph.D. degree at the University of Southern California under the direction of Professors G. K. Surya Prakash and George A. Olah. He subsequently took up a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Professor K. Barry Sharpless at the Scripps Research Institute. In 1998, he started his independent career at the University of Toronto. He received early tenure, becoming an Associate Professor in 2002, and received an early promotion to the rank of a Full Professor in 2007. Dr. Yudin is one of the pioneers in the design of new chemical transformations. Currently, the main focus of research in the Yudin group is to develop a bridge between basic chemistry research and drug discovery. In addition to significant fundamental discoveries, his lab is making tangible contributions to chemical industry. In 2009, Sigma-Aldrich used his method and created a wide range of reagents now known as the Yudin amino aldehydes. These powerful molecules are being used to solve some of the long-standing problems of complex molecule synthesis. Dr. Yudin and his students have made molecules that effectively mimic secondary structures such as beta turns, beta sheets, and alpha helices in various contexts. Coauthor of over 80 publications and 7 patents, Dr. Yudin recently edited two books for Wiley-VCH entitled “Aziridines and Epoxides in Organic Synthesis” and “Catalyzed Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Formation” – areas of his current interests. Overall, Dr. Yudin has presented 160 invited lectures to thousands of chemists all over the world. Since joining the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Yudin has been awarded a Cottrell Teacher-Scholar Award, Premier’s Research Excellence Award, CSC Award in Combinatorial Chemistry (sponsored by Merck-Frosst, Boehringer-Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, and BiochemPharma), 2004 Amgen New Faculty Award, 2005 American Chemical Society Moissant Fellowship (together with Dr. Neil Vasdev), 2008 NSERC Accelerator Supplement Award, 2010 CSC Merck-Frosst Therapeutic Center Award, 2010 Rutherford Medal of the Royal Society of Canada. He recently received one of 2011 University of Toronto Inventors of the Year Awards. Dr. Yudin has been a consultant for Applied Biosystems (San Francisco, CA), Affinium Pharmaceuticals (Toronto, Ontario), DexCom (San Diego, CA), Schering-Plough (Clark, New Jersey), and Ensemble Therapeutics (Boston, MA).