Dr. Florence McCarthy leads a team of researchers in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry investigating the synthesis and evaluation of diverse bioactive molecules from complex heterocycles to steroids. Our objective is the development of novel molecules to address molecular targets in the body for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, infection and neglected diseases. In order to achieve our objectives, lead compounds are designed and synthesised to address a particular receptor in the body. Once the synthesised molecules have been validated these are taken forward (both in-house and in collaboration) toward biological evaluation.

Dr. McCarthy’s research is collaborative, multidisciplinary and impactful and has yielded highly cited publications on the synthesis of novel molecules and the relationship of these to biological phenomena.

His research is arranged around five themes:

• Quinolines and Isoquinolines – new chemistry for selective substitution and the first reported compounds with preferential anticancer activity for multidrug resistant cancer cell lines.
• Indoles and Indolocarbazoles - the chemistry of indole and carbazole and their heterocyclic variants yielding multiple new molecular platforms which target kinases and topoisomerases  
• Ellipticines – multiple new chemical entities derived from the ellipticine family of natural products, discovery of substitution dependent anticancer mechanisms, validated by in vivo activity against leukaemia.
• Phytosterols – first ever synthesis of oxides of plant sterols as standards in the analysis of their prevalence in functional foods
• LCMS – Director of instrumentation suite for >20 years; essential research infrastructure for >100 researchers in synthetic chemistry and process impurity profiling

Within these themes, our research has led to significant advances in the understanding of anticancer mechanisms, including reports of the discovery of the first isoquinolines which overcome drug resistance in multidrug resistant cancers, isoellipticines with exceptional in vivo anticancer data, kinase inhibitor discovery and development which has led to new medicines. Other areas of impact include the discovery of new antibacterial and antifungal agents, the first stereoselective synthesis of phytosterol oxide standards and the use of mass spectrometry as a tool to characterise molecules by faculty and industry partners.

Dr. McCarthy is enthusiastic about postgraduate education, ensuring that postgraduates gain the multiple skills required to underpin their futures and commonly projects in our group are multi-faceted. Since 2008, he has graduated 11 PhD students who have developed international postdoctoral careers or senior roles within the pharmaceutical industry both in Ireland and internationally. In addition, 3 postdoctoral researchers have worked within the team and have progressed to careers in industry.

Louise Cooney (2022, PhD)
Thesis: Synthesis and anticancer evaluation of novel functionalised Bisindolylmaleimides and Indolocarbazoles

Ryan Kruschel (2021, PhD)
Thesis: Development, synthesis and biological screening of novel quinolinequinone and isoquinolinequinone frameworks as anticancer agents

Robyn Kehoe (2019, MSc Research)
Thesis: The Synthesis and Biological Assessment of Small Molecule Modulators of Oomycete Calcium Channels

Mary McKee (2019, PhD)
Thesis: Ellipticine derivatives: Targeting cell proliferation by a structured approach

Kevin O'Shea (2018, PhD)
Thesis: Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel, Functionalised Indoles as Potential Kinase Inhibitors

Elaine O'Sullivan (2016, PhD)
Thesis: Synthesis and evaluation of novel Ellipticines as potential anti-cancer agents

Hannah Winfield (2016, PhD)
Thesis: Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Functionalised Indoles as Anticancer Agents

Kieran Greaney (2015, PhD)
Thesis: Synthesis and evaluation of novel quinolines and quinazolines as potential anti-cancer agents

Michael Cahill (2013, PhD)
Thesis: Synthesis and evaluation of novel azaindolocarbazole derivatives as cancer chemotherapeutics

Charlotte Miller (2012, PhD)
Thesis: Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel ellipticine derivatives and analogues as anti-cancer agents

Larry Pierce (2011, PhD)
Thesis: Design, synthesis and development of novel indolocarbazole derivatives as potential anti-cancer agents

Fiona Deane (2010, PhD)
Thesis: Design, synthesis and evaluation of elliptiicne derivatives as potential anti-cancer agents

Postgraduates within the group have regularly won awards for Best Presentations at Industry sponsored events (Eli Lilly Postgraduate Symposium UCC; Larry Pierce 2009, Charlotte Miller 2010, Elaine O’Sullivan 2014, Kevin O’Shea 2015, Mary McKee 2016, Louise Cooney 2020), at national conferences (IUCRC 2019, Ryan Kruschel, 2021 Louise Cooney) and international conferences (GP2A 2010 Michael Cahill, GP2A 2016 Mary McKee, 2021 Louise Cooney; COST Action Stratagem 2021 Louise Cooney). Postgraduates have been highlighted for excellence such as Elaine O’Sullivan identified by IRC as one of “6 Rising Stars of Research” in Silicon Republic in 2016 for her work on our ellipticine project and Hannah Winfield winning the All Ireland Award for Undergraduate Research under my supervision in 2010.

Alison Walsh - funded by Research Ireland Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship

Florence McCarthy graduated from the School of Pharmacy, University of Sunderland, UK winning the Pfizer prize for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry. After a registration year in Glasgow as a pharmacist with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, his PhD studies were undertaken in Medicinal Chemistry with Prof. Paul Groundwater at the University of Sunderland and funded by the EPSRC, entitled "Synthesis of Novel Ellipticines as Molecular Probes and DNA Binders".  In 2001, Dr. McCarthy joined Prof. Bill Denny at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre (ACSRC), University of Auckland, New Zealand in conjunction with Pfizer Global Research and Development to work on the ErbB kinase inhibitor programme and inhibitors of Wee1 and Chk1 checkpoint kinases. This work led to successful patent registration and the eventual market launch of dacomitinib (Vizimpro), a successful first-line treatment for non-small-cell lung carcinoma. On his return to Ireland, he joined UCC as a part-time Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry in 2003 before being made permanent in the Department of Chemistry in 2005.

Dr. McCarthy teaches a wide range of topics in Analytical, Medicinal, Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes including B.Sc. Chemistry, Chemistry with Forensic Science (CFS), Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds (CPC), and Pharmacy, in addition to postgraduate education in CM6101, CM7002, CM7003, CM7006, CM7007 and ML6005. Please visit the individual module pages for relevant course material.