Scientists / Our Scientists

Jack Terrett

Principal Scientist Chemistry, Discovery Chemistry, Drug Discovery

Postdoc Mentor

"At Genentech, risk-taking is rewarded. It excites me to be positioned to pursue fundamental scientific challenges in a collaborative environment where innovation is encouraged – a testament to the opportunities given to young scientists."

8

Years at Genentech

21

Publications at Genentech

3

Awards & Honors

I joined Genentech in 2016 as a Scientist in the Discovery Chemistry group. Genentech’s strong commitment to basic research and emphasis on data-driven decision-making sets it apart as a leader in the field. As a medicinal chemist, my responsibilities involve the design and development of small molecule drugs to target various biological pathways. In partnership with a large interdisciplinary team of talented scientists, I aim to impact disease states with significant unmet medical need, spanning multiple therapeutic areas.

Prior to joining Genentech, I completed my Ph.D. at Princeton University in the group of David MacMillan. My research focused on the development of new catalytic transformations through the strategic access of reactive intermediates, primarily in the area of photoredox–nickel catalysis.

Postdoctoral Mentor

Through the Genentech postdoctoral research program, I have the opportunity to work closely with and help develop the next generation of scientific leaders. It is extremely rewarding to have the ability to find solutions to fundamental research problems alongside talented and determined young scientists. Our post-docs are an essential part of the academic culture at Genentech and it gives me great excitement to contribute to a program that is at its core interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature.

Featured Publication

Switching on elusive organometallic mechanisms with photoredox catalysis.

Nature. 2015 Aug 20;524(7565):330-4.

Terrett JA, Cuthbertson JD, Shurtleff VW, MacMillan DW.

My lab is focused on developing innovative technologies in catalysis to help elucidate protein structure and receptor-ligand interactions. Our research sits at the nexus of synthetic chemistry and structural biology with broad applications ranging from improving protein imaging and crystallography to advances in phenotypic screening. Furthermore, we aim to discover new reaction methodologies that will have a direct impact on the construction of diverse therapeutic modalities.

Shining light on nitrogen: Alkene amination with N-heteroaromatic radicals via energy transfer

Chem, ISSN: 24519308

Léa Thai-Savard; Jack A. Terrett

Deoxygenative alcohol–nucleophile coupling via carbocations

Chem Catalysis, ISSN: 26671093 26671107

Léa Thai-Savard; Jason R. Zbieg; Jack A. Terrett

α,β-Desaturation and Formal β-C(sp³)-H Fluorination of N-Substituted Amines: A Late-Stage Functionalization Strategy Enabled by Electrochemistry

Journal of the American Chemical Society, ISSN: 00027863

Luiz F. T. Novaes; Justin S. K. Ho; Kaining Mao; Elisia Villemure; Jack A. Terrett; Song Lin

Regioselective aliphatic C–H functionalization using frustrated radical pairs

Nature, ISSN: 00280836

Zhipeng Lu; Minsoo Ju; Yi Wang; Jonathan M. Meinhardt; Jesus I. Martinez Alvarado; Elisia Villemure; Jack A. Terrett; Song Lin

Discovery of TRPA1 Antagonist GDC-6599: Derisking Preclinical Toxicity and Aldehyde Oxidase Metabolism with a Potential First-in- Class Therapy for Respiratory Disease

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, ISSN: 00222623

Jack A. Terrett; Justin Ly; Paula Katavolos; Catrin Hasselgren; Steven Laing; Fiona Zhong; Elisia Villemure; Martin Déry; Larouche-Gauthier; Huifen Chen; Daniel G. Shore; Wyne P. Lee; Eric Suto; Kevin Johnson; Marjory B. Brooks; Alyssa Stablein; Francis Beaumier; Léa Constantineau-Forget; Chantal Grand-Maître; Luce Lépissier; Stéphane Ciblat; Claudio Sturino; Yong Chen; Baihua Hu; Justin Elstrott; Vineela D. Gandham; Victory Joseph; Helen Booler; Cain; Carolina Chou; Aaron Fullerton; Lepherd; Shannon Stainton; Elizabeth Torres; Konnie Urban; Lanlan Yu; Yu Zhong; Linda Bao; Kang-Jye Chou; Jessica Lin; Wei Zhang; Hank La; Liling Liu; Teresa Mulder; Jun Chen; Tania Chernov-Rogan; Adam R. Johnson; David Hackos; Rebecca Leahey; Shannon D. Shields; Alessia Balestrini; Lorena Riol-Blanco; Brian S. Safina; Matthew Volgraf; Steven Magnuson; Satoko Kakiuchi-Kiyota

Green Chemistry Articles of Interest to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Marian C. Bryan; Charlotte Dalton; Alba Díaz-Rodríguez; Jaika Doerfler; Oliver D. Engl; Alejandro Gimenez Molina; Vanessa Harawa; Christopher B. Kelly; Wei Li; Rachel Munday; Jan Pawlas; Paul Richardson; William J. Smith; Alan Steven; Balaram S. Takale; Jack A. Terrett; Daniel S. Treitler; Mingshuo Zeng

Green Chemistry Articles of Interest to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Marian C. Bryan; Charlotte Dalton; Alba Díaz-Rodríguez; Jaika Doerfler; Oliver D. Engl; Paul Ferguson; Alejandro Gimenez Molina; Zhengxu S. Han; Joseph Hosford; Gareth Howell; Marc Hutchby; Wei Li; Rachel Munday; Antonio Navarro; Michael Parmentier; Jan Pawlas; Paul Richardson; William J. Smith; Alan Steven; Balaram S. Takale; Jack A. Terrett; Daniel S. Treitler; Mingshuo Zeng

Simple strategy towards amide bioisosteres

Nature Chemistry, ISSN: 17554349 17554330

Malcolm P. Huestis; Jack A. Terrett

Exploring Electrochemical C(sp3)-H Oxidation for the Late-Stage Methylation of Complex Molecules

Journal of the American Chemical Society, ISSN: 15205126 00027863

Luiz F. T. Novaes; Justin S. K. Ho; Kaining Mao; Kaida Liu; Mayank Tanwar; Matthew Neurock; Elisia Villemure; Jack A. Terrett; Song Lin

The Direct Decarboxylative N-Alkylation of Azoles, Sulfonamides, Ureas, and Carbamates with Carboxylic Acids via Photoredox Catalysis

Organic Letters, ISSN: 15237052 15237060

Peijun Li; Jason R. Zbieg; Jack A. Terrett

A Platform for Decarboxylative Couplings via Photoredox Catalysis: Direct Access to Carbocations from Carboxylic Acids for Carbon-Oxygen Bond Formation

ACS Catalysis, ISSN: 21555435

Peijun Li; Jason R. Zbieg; Jack A. Terrett

A Retrospective Look at the Impact of Binding Site Environment on the Optimization of TRPA1 Antagonists

ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, ISSN: 19485875

Elisia Villemure; Jack A. Terrett; Larouche-Gauthier; Martin Déry; Huifen Chen; Rebecca M. Reese; Shannon D. Shields; Jun Chen; Steven Magnuson; Matthew Volgraf

Tetrahydrofuran-Based Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) Antagonists: Ligand-Based Discovery, Activity in a Rodent Asthma Model, and Mechanism-of-Action via Cryogenic Electron Microscopy

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, ISSN: 15204804 00222623

Jack A. Terrett; Huifen Chen; Daniel G. Shore; Elisia Villemure; Larouche-Gauthier; Martin Déry; Francis Beaumier; Léa Constantineau-Forget; Chantal Grand-Maître; Luce Lépissier; Stéphane Ciblat; Claudio Sturino; Yong Chen; Baihua Hu; Aijun Lu; Yunli Wang; Andrew P. Cridland; Stuart I. Ward; David Hackos; Rebecca M. Reese; Shannon D. Shields; Jun Chen; Alessia Balestrini; Lorena Riol-Blanco; Wyne P. Lee; John Liu; Eric Suto; Xiumin Wu; Juan Zhang; Justin Ly; Hank La; Kevin Johnson; Matthew Baumgardner; Kang-Jye Chou; Alexis Rohou; Lionel Rouge; Brian S. Safina; Steven Magnuson; Matthew Volgraf

Green Chemistry Articles of Interest to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Charlotte Dalton; Louis Diorazio; Jaika Doerfler; Oliver D. Engl; Zhengxu S. Han; Gareth Howell; Jonathan Latham; Wei Li; Mark McLaws; Rachel Munday; Antonio Navarro; Michael Parmentier; Jan Pawlas; Paul Richardson; Gheorghe-Doru Roiban; Alan Steven; Jack A. Terrett; Daniel S. Treitler; Mingshuo Zeng

Green chemistry articles of interest to the pharmaceutical industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Alba Diaz Rodriguez; Charlotte Dalton; Louis Diorazio; Jaika Doerfler; Oliver D. Engl; Matthew Hickey; Gareth Howell; Marc Hutchby; Jonathan Latham; Wei Li; Rachel Munday; Paul Richardson; Philipp C. Roosen; Alan Steven; Jack A. Terrett; Daniel S. Treitler; Timothy White; Mingshuo Zeng

Visible-Light Photocatalysis as an Enabling Technology for Drug Discovery: A Paradigm Shift for Chemical Reactivity

ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, ISSN: 19485875

Peijun Li; Jack A. Terrett; Jason R. Zbieg

Green Chemistry Articles of Interest to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Marie-Gabrielle Braun; Louis Diorazio; Kenneth Fraunhoffer; John Hayler; Matthew Hickey; Jonathan Latham; Lucie E. Lovelle; Mark McLaws; Andrew T. Parsons; Paul Richardson; Gheorghe-Doru Roiban; Philipp C. Roosen; Alan Steven; Jack A. Terrett; Timothy White; Jingjun Yin

Dual photoredox/nickel-catalyzed conversion of aryl halides to aryl aminooxetanes: Computational evidence for a substrate-dependent switch in mechanism

ACS Catalysis, ISSN: 21555435

Kavoos Kolahdouzan; Ryan Khalaf; Jessica M. Grandner; Yongsheng Chen; Jack A. Terrett; Malcolm P. Huestis

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) antagonists: a patent review (2015–2019)

Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, ISSN: 17447674 13543776

Huifen Chen; Jack A. Terrett

Green Chemistry Articles of Interest to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Marie-Gabrielle Braun; Alba Díaz-Rodríguez; Louis Diorazio; Zhongbo Fei; Kenneth Fraunhoffer; John Hayler; Matthew Hickey; Mark McLaws; Paul Richardson; Gheorghe-Doru Roiban; Andrew T. Parsons; Alan Steven; Jack A. Terrett; Timothy White; Jingjun Yin

Green Chemistry Articles of Interest to the Pharmaceutical Industry

Organic Process Research and Development, ISSN: 1520586X 10836160

Marie-Gabrielle Braun; Alba Díaz-Rodríguez; Louis Diorazio; Zhongbo Fei; Kenneth Fraunhoffer; John Hayler; Matthew Hickey; Shaun Hughes; Mark McLaws; Paul Richardson; Markus Schober; Austin G. Smith; Alan Steven; Jack A. Terrett; Timothy White; Jingjun Yin

Princeton University, Ph.D. in Chemistry – 2016
Princeton University, M.A. in Chemistry – 2012
Middlebury College, B.A. in Chemistry – 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb Graduate Fellowship – 2014
Princeton University Fellowship in Natural Sciences and Engineering – 2011
Beckman Scholar, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation – 2010