The research project focusses on the utilization of organic synthesis to investigate complex biosynthetic pathways. The aim is to access newly isolated polyketides from anaerobic bacteria through total synthesis, thereby providing enough material for a wide screening of biological activity. Also, the task is to understand unusual biosynthetic reactions that produce new-to-nature scaffolds. Therefore, the full potential of synthetic chemistry will be used to prepare complex biosynthetic precursors to study these enzymatic reactions in vitro.