The research group is a laboratory focused on medicinal chemistry, primarily addressing diseases of neurodevelopment such as schizophrenia. Biological activity and structure-based drug design are used to drive chemistry target selection, and we are developing synthetic methods to efficiently prepare those targets. These efforts are tightly coupled with in vitro and in vivo testing and analysis, in collaboration with other research groups and core facilities at Johns Hopkins University or externally.  At the core, the lab is engaged in the design and synthesis of molecules for a given biological target, analysis of in vitro and in vivo results, as well as further refinement through multiple cycles of synthesis and testing. Advances in reaction methodology, reagent availability, parallel synthesis, and purification technology now allow preparation of compounds in an efficient manner so that we can quickly drive structure-activity relationship studies and identify advanced leads. These advanced leads will have good potency and selectivity for the target of interest, and will be used to test biological hypotheses both in vitro and in vivo to determine if modulating the target is indeed a viable therapeutic strategy. By executing on medicinal chemistry programs, we will drive translational science from target and pathway discovery to novel medicines for patients.