Interview with Inventor

Interview with Prof. Alexey Tyrkov, Dean of the Chemical Department of ASU, Chief of the Green Chemistry Research & Educational Center, Supervisor of the research project “Method to Obtain Sulphonic Derivatives of 2-nitro-2-(3-aryl-1,2,4-oxadiazole-5-yl) Ethane”.

– Why makes your invention relevant and topical?

– The base of sulphonic derivatives is oxydiazone cycle 1,2,3. The need to functionalize the oxydiazone cycles is due to their antileprotic activity. Preparations created on the base of such compounds are actively applied in pharmacy, especially in the Third World, where the morbidity rate of various diseases (including leprosy) is very high.

– What was the goal you set yourself to develop your project?

– Together with our colleagues from Pyatigorsk and from Astrakhan Leprosy Research Institute, we have developed a method to obtain sulphonic derivatives. We aimed to extend the range of potential antileprotic preparations.

– Any drawbacks of your development?

– The technique to obtain the compounds of the sulphonic group that we developed includes several stages, which certainly reduces the product yield. We will work to speed up our obtainment of sulphonic derivatives.

– At what stage is your research now? What are its prospects?

– We already conducted preclinical research. At first, we tested the preparation by using mice and rats. Leprosy has a continuous latent period, so our experiments are run at a low speed; each of them takes half a year. This work is expensive; it will require investors’ financial backing. Our next stage will be research of antileprotic and antituberculous activity of sulphonic compounds, whose efficiency will be at least as high as that of standard preparations that are applied to treat leprosy. Our preliminary calculations reveal that the self-cost of our preparation will be low.

Interviewed by T.Yu. Gavrilkina (the Web Resources Information Support Directorate of ASU)

Translated by E.I. Glinchevskiy (the Center of Translation Studies & Conference Interpreting “ASTLINK” of ASU)

May 24, 2017