[F04A Roster]

The F04A panel reviews fellowship applications covering the chemistry of biologically and medicinally important molecules. This includes the synthesis, isolation and structural determination of small molecules as well as the chemistry of drug discovery and biological processes; structure-function relationships of enzymes and metalloproteins by kinetic and substrate analog studies; characterization of the chemistry of biologically relevant macromolecules including biopolymers and biomaterials; and development of analytical instrumentation and biosensors.  Specific areas covered by F04A include:

• Chemical synthesis of therapeutic, pharmacological, biological, or biochemical compounds
• Development and optimization of synthetic reactions, including analysis of reaction mechanisms and kinetics
• Biosynthetic or biomimetic synthesis of natural products, including design of enzyme substrates or inhibitors
• Isolation, structural determination, and chemical synthesis of complex natural products
• Enzyme mechanism studies, including mutagenesis, analyses of transient and transition states, and steady state kinetics
• Bioinorganic chemistry, including synthesis and properties of coordination compounds and their thermodynamics, kinetics and structures
• Function and mechanism of metalloproteins, including their spectroscopic characterization
• Analytical and clinical chemistry, including fabrication methods for biomaterials and biosensor development and development of mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis, microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip, and other microfabicated devices
• RNA enzymology, including catalytic RNA and ribozymes

Fellowship panels with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Biophysical and Biochemical Sciences [F04B]  
Cell Biology and Development [F05]  
Oncological Sciences [F09]  
Technology Development [F14]