Dongwook Wi, MS

Dongwook has 2+ years of experience in a broad range of organic chemistry techniques and small molecules synthesis. He graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. While studying at UMN, he spent 2 years involved in Dr. Wayland Noland's lab, working on the synthesis Diels-Alders compounds with heterocycles nitrogen compounds for dementia diseases by utilizing analytical methods including solid-liquid extraction for testing for medicinal activity. He then received a M.S in Pharmaceutical Sciences from USC in 2021. Shortly after, Dongwook joined the Drug Discovery Lab in 2021 and is currently working as a chemist. In the DDL lab, he strives to synthesize several different small molecules for the treatment of skeletal muscle and pulmonary dysfunction in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He is focusing on synthesizing brain permeable small molecule mimetics of the Humanin Peptide as a novel target for modulating neurodegenerative diseases, while utilizing techniques including flash chromatography, flow chemistry, liquid-liquid extraction, and interpreting data by using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Agilent 1290 HPLC System, and MS/MS (Agilent 6460 Triple Quadrupole).