Natural Product Research Group

Chin-Soon Phan official photo

Dr. Chin-Soon Phan

Group leader
e-mail: chinsoon@osi.lv

The Natural Product Research Group focuses on discovering microbial natural products from the Baltic area. These Baltic microbial natural products are relevant to human health, and our interest extends to gaining a fundamental understanding of their structures, biosynthesis, and biological activities. To further drive our research, we are closely collaborating with other groups at LIOS and the Italian biotech company, NAICONS.

Group leader Dr. Chin-Soon Phan was trained in marine natural products chemistry and obtained his Ph.D. in 2018 at Malaysia. He was then exposed to natural products biosynthesis at The University of Western Australia (Visiting Fellow, 2018-2019), Hokkaido University (JSPS Postdoc Fellow, 2019-2021) and National University of Singapore (Postdoc Fellow, 2021-2023). Since December 2023, he became a Group Leader at Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis.

The group consist of two Postdocs, one Lab Technician, and is currently recruiting the graduate students and more Postdocs.

graphic illustration
Selected publications
  • Phan, C.-S.; Chang, L.; Nguyen, T. Q. N.; Suarez, A. F. L.; Ho, X. H.; Chen, H.; Koh, I. Y. F.; Morinaka, B. I. Substrate promiscuity of the triceptide maturase XncB leads to incorporation of various amino acids and detection of oxygen adducts. ACS Chem. Biol. 2024, 19, 855–860.
  • Phan, C.-S.; Morinaka, B. I. Bacterial cyclophane-containing RiPPs from radical SAM enzymes. Nat. Prod. Rep. 2024, 41, 708–720.
  • Phan, C.-S.; Morinaka, B. I. A prevalent group of Actinobacterial radical SAM/SPASM maturases involved in triceptide biosynthesis. ACS Chem. Biol. 2022, 17, 3284–3289.
  • Phan, C.-S.; Mehjabin, J. J.; Anas, A. R. J.; Hayasaka, M.; Onoki, R.; Wang, J.; Umezawa, T.; Washio, K.; Morikawa, M.; Okino, T. Nostosin G and spiroidesin B from the cyanobacterium Dolichospermum sp. NIES-1697. J. Nat. Prod. 2022, 85, 2000–2005.
  • Phan, C.-S.; Matsuda, K.; Balloo, N.; Fujita, K.; Wakimoto, T.; Okino, T. Argicyclamides A-C unveil enzymatic basis for guanidine bis-prenylation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 10083–10087.
  • Li, H.; Glichrist, C. L. M.; Phan, C.-S.; Lacey, H. J.; Vuong, D.; Moggach, S. A.; Lacey, E.; Piggott, A. M.; Chooi, Y.-H. Biosynthesis of a new benzazepine alkaloid nanangelenin A from Aspergillus nanangensis involves an unusual L-kynurenine-incorporating NRPS catalyzing regioselective lactamization. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 7145–7152.
  • Phan, C.-S.; Li, H.; Kessler, S.; Solomon, P. S.; Piggott, A. M.; Chooi, Y.-H. Bipolenins K–N: new sesquiterpenoids from the fungal plant pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 2019, 15, 2020–2028.
 Selected patent
  • Morinaka, B. I.; Sugiyama, R.; Yao, Z.; Ee, P. L. R.; Tram, D. T. N.; Morishita, Y.; Phan, C.-S.; Lim, J. Peptides with antimicrobial properties. 2024. Patent No. WO/2024/025474.
  • Wakimoto, T.; Okino, T.; Matsuda, K.; Phan, C.-S. Novel prenylating enzyme “新規プレニル化酵素”. 2022. Patent No. WO/2022/168952.

Published on 13.12.2023.; Updated on 28.06.2024.