Branko S. Jursic Professor – Organic Chemistry, Synthesis & Molecular Recognition B.S., University of Zagreb 1978 Ph.D., University of Zagreb 1985 email: bjursic1@uno.edu phone: (504) 280-7090 office: CBS 323

Research Interests In our group the preparation of heterocyclic compounds that can have biological activity are our major synthetic targets. Major structural moieties including nitrogen containing heterocycles, such as barbituric acid, pyridine, and quinoline to name a few are incorporated into our products to direct biological activity. There are currently four ongoing projects within our laboratories. The first project involves the synthesis of the previously described heterocycles to be used as immune modulation compounds. Our second project involves the preparation of heterocyclic compounds that can target the central nervous system. Our third project involves the preparation of large aromatic compounds that can be used as covalent attachments to racemic drugs, which will enable only one enantiomer to be delivered as a drug to the targeted biosystem. Our fourth project is our latest endeavor to successfully develop methodology to synthesize steroid esters that have a variety of medicinal applications. One additional goal for our team is to develop methods of preparation of our compounds in simple (few steps) and high yielding reactions that can be applied to large scale industrial applications.

Selected Publications Jursic, Branko S.; Patel, Paresh K. "Cyclomaltooligosaccharide-assisted spectroscopic discrimination of phthalimido-derived amino acids through the formation of molecular aggregates"  Carbohydrate Research 2006, 341, 2858-2866. Jursic, Branko S.; Patel, Paresh K. "Cyclomaltooligosaccharide (cyclodextrin)-assisted enantiomeric recognition of benzo[lmn][3,8]phenanthroline-derived amino acids" Carbohydrate Research 2005, 340, 1413-1418. Jursic, Branko S.; Patel, Paresh K. "Cyclodextrin assisted enantiomeric recognition of benzo[de]isoquinoline-1,3-dione derived amino acids" Tetrahedron 2005, 61, 919-926. Germann, N.; Urien, S.; Rodgers, Andrew H.; Ratterree, Marion; Struck, Robert F.; Waud, William R.; Serota, David G.; Bastian, Gerard; Jursic, Branko S.; Morgan, Lee Roy. Comparative preclinical toxicology and pharmacology of isophosphoramide mustard, the active metabolite of ifosfamide" Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 2005, 55, 143-151. Jursic, Branko S.; Neumann, Donna M.; Bowdy, Katharine L.; Stevens, Edwin D. "Simple, efficient, high yield syntheses of substituted and unsubstituted 5-benzoylbarbituric acids, and their corresponding Schiff base phenylhydrazones" J. Het. Chem. 2004, 41, 233-246. Morgan, Lee Roy; Thangaraj, Kanappan; LeBlanc, Blaise; Rodgers, Andrew; Wolford, Lionel T.; Hooper, Catherine L.; Fan, Dominic; Jursic, Branko S "Design, Synthesis, and Anticancer Properties of 4,4'-Dihydroxybenzophenone-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone and Analogues" Journal of Medicinal Chemistry" 2003, 46, 4552-4563. Lee Roy Morgan, Branko S. Jursic, Catherine L. Hooper, Donna M. Neumann, Kanappan Thangaraj, and Blaise LeBlanc "Anticancer Activity for 4,4'-Dihydroxybenzophenone-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (A-007) Analogs and their Abilities to Interact with Lymphoendothelial Cell Surface Markers" Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2002, 12, 3407-3411. Branko S. Jursic, Donna M. Neumann, Kenneth L. Martin, and Edwin D. Stevens "Barbituric Acid Initiated Rearrangement of 2,2'-Pyridil into 5,5'-(2-Pyrilidine)bisbarbituric Acid" Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 811. Branko S. Jursic, Donna M. Neumann, Zakhia Moore, and Edwin D. Stevens "Unique Charge Separated Pyridinium-Barbituric Acid Zwitterions" J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 2372. Branko S. Jursic and Edwin D. Stevens "Preparation of Dibarbiturates of Oxindole by Condensation of Isatin and Barbituric acid Derivatives" Tetrahedron Lett. 2002, 43, 5681-5683. Branko S. Jursic, Frederic Douelle, Katherine Bowdy, and Edwin D. Stevens "A New Facile Method for Preparation of Heterocyclic a-Iminonitriles and a-Oxoacetic Acid from Heterocyclic Aldehydes, p-Aminophenol, and Sodium Cyanide" Tetrahedron Lett. 2002, 43, 5361-5365. Donna M. Neumann, Branko S. Jursic, and Kenneth L. Martin "Preparation of 5-(Cyclohexylmethyl)barbituric Acid Derivatives by Acid Catalyzed Reductive Cyclohexylmethylation of Barbituric acids with p-Hydroxy or p-Methoxybenzaldehydes" Tetrahedron Lett. 2002, 43 1603. Renata Kobetić, Branko S. Jursic, Sidney Bonnette, Jane S.-C. Tsai, Salamone J. Salvatore "Study of the Lorazepam: Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry" Tetrahedron Lett. 2001, 42, 6077. Lee Roy Morgan, Andrew H. Rodgers, Blaise W. LeBlanc, Steven M. Boué, Ying Yang, Branko S. Jursic, Richard B. Cole "Anticancer Properties for 4,4'-Dihydroxybenzophenone-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone (A-007)/3,7-Diaminophenothiazin-5-ium Double Salts" Bio. Med. Chem. Lett. 2001, 11, 2193-2195.