Bristol Myers Squibb partners with UTSA to advance pharmaceutical discovery, development

Doug Frantz, the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Endowed Chair of Chemistry and principal investigator on the project, will partner with BMS, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, on the award. Frantz has worked alongside BMS to publish several peer-reviewed articles over the past six years. One of their most recent publications went on to become one of last year's most read articles in Organometallics, a leading journal in the field of organometallic chemistry.

"The highly successful collaboration my research group already has with BMS was the perfect opportunity to submit a GOALI proposal to the NSF to further catalyze our future success," said Frantz.

The goal of this project is to discover and develop new catalysts that can control chemical reactivity in a class of compounds that are highly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. BMS will utilize their high-throughput experimentation (HTE) capabilities that enable scientists to conduct thousands of reactions per week to identify new catalysts that can be refined in the Frantz Laboratory.

"BMS is excited to extend our partnership with Professor Frantz and his research group. The GOALI program will enable continuation and expansion of an already successful collaboration with a number of positive benefits for both the organizations and students involved in the research," said Michael Hobbs, vice president of chemical process development.

Additionally, the program will provide a unique training environment for UTSA students in Frantz's research group. They will have the opportunity to work directly with BMS scientists and gain professional career experience with a leading pharmaceutical firm.

"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity that Doug Frantz has provided for me to be a part of the collaboration with one of the biggest and well-known companies in the pharmaceutical industry," said Nicolas Wilson, a graduate student on the Ph.D. track in chemistry who hopes to one day work in the pharmaceutical industry. "I am in constant communication with some of the brightest minds in industry which has, without a doubt, further deepened my knowledge and understanding of chemistry."

Meredith Slimp, a UTSA junior majoring in chemistry, believes working on a project of this caliber is a dream opportunity for an undergraduate.

"Working with the Frantz group at UTSA, as well as the amazing team at Bristol Myers Squibb, is something that will leave me with profound experience and knowledge that will help me through graduate school, as well as my following career," she added.