The Synaptic Leap

Background
Relevant experiment.  Basically, the Pictet-Spengler to form 3 PZQ analogues and PZQ itself.
The mass spec is of a by-product of the acid mediated PS cyclisation of MNR10-1 to form KAB8-1, aka the dimethoxy N-benzoyl PZQ analogue.

 
I've now reached the end of my second week in the lab working on the Pictet-Spengler route to praziquantel.
 
It's been quite a steep learning curve so far, particularly in terms of analysis and familiarizing myself with the lab.  I've had experience (if you can call it that) with NMR and MS before, but that was only in the sense that I prepared my sample in the tube/bottle and a week later, I got a spectrum on my bench.  Now I'm preparing NMR and LCMS samples on a daily basis.  I'm finding it much easier to use the LCMS (however, interpreting data is another matter), and I've been introduced to the procedure for recording NMR spectra.
 

In the last couple of weeks my time has mostly been spent trying to figure out whats going on in the oxidation of pyrrole-3-carbaldehyde to the corresponding acid.

Thanks to the lovely spam bots, we had to activate our captcha module recently for new posts. Sadly most people (including me) couldn't read the characters, so we switched it off. While we work out what to do next, posts will temporarily be approved the old way. Hopefully the delay to posts being published should be minimal.

In the U.S. we just celebrated Thanksgiving. It's a day we spend with family, eat too much (what's new?), and reflect on all the things we're thankful for. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family, we're generally healthy, and I've been relatively successful in my career in software.

A little more than a year ago, while feeling fortunate and thankful, I was reflecting on what I could do to give back to the world. I thought about it for quite a while, asking myself, with my experience with corporate portals (I was the R&D leader at PeopleSoft for their portal application), how could I best leverage my skills to give something back to the world. Founding The Synaptic Leap was and still is my answer.

It has become a calling for me. I believe passionately that this should be done; I know emphatically that it is technically possible. The question is simply a cultural one. Are biomedical scientists willing to do it? I think so. I believe in the human race. I believe that most of us will give a bit if we think it will make a difference. I hope, that providing The Synaptic Leap, we're giving you a place to connect with other scientists, a place to check your egos at the door and give your ideas freely, and a place to encourage and nurture the ideas of others. I hope we're giving you the perfect place to leverage your talents to give back to the world.

Sample ideas: 

• Volunteer. Help with an existing project.
• Take a project you're writing a grant for and make some of it open source. Granting agencies are increasingly favoring this.