Metacaspases belong to a class of enzymes involved in programmed cell death pathways in plants, fungi, protozoa, bacteria and algae. Their function in these organisms make them an ideal candidate for antiparasitic and antifungal drugs in humans. Our goal in the Kehlbeck Lab is to synthesize these possible inhibitors, confirm their identity through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and purify them so that they can be used in biological assays. We are expanding the scope of Krystyna Demkiw’s “one-pot” method of synthesizing heteroaryl ketones directly from carboxylic acids and heteroaryl halides by applying the method to amino acids. This robust method allows us to survey a library of ‘R’ groups on the aromatic ring of the small molecule to optimize activity. We are also assessing the stereospecificity of our method using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).The biological assays conducted in the Fox Lab will help determine the candidate with the greatest inhibitory potential for living cells or tissues.