1. 活性天然产物的发现、结构优化与全合成
2. 抗肿瘤与神经退行性疾病药物的研究与开发
2015年加入药物所以来，作为项目负责人承担国家自然科学基金3项。研究主要围绕着活性天然产物开展相关工作，包括活性天然产物的发现、结构修饰及全合成等。累计发表学术论文50余篇，其中以第一或通讯作者（含共同）在Chemical Science、Journal of Medicinal Chemistry、Organic Letter、European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry等本领域主流期刊发表学术论文30余篇；申请中国发明专利15项，获得授权专利9项，申请PCT专利1项并分别获得美国和欧盟授权；作为主要完成人参与的1个抗肿瘤新药已成功实现转让。

1. Chenyu Dang, Zifan Feng, Tao Xu, Mi Li, Zhipeng Wang, Hualong Song*, Rubing Wang*. Strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threat analysis of targeting leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 for parkinson’s disease treatment: Status Quo and Quo Vadis. J. Med. Chem. 2025, 68: 13148-13168.
2. Wenrui Li, Rubing Wang, Huiqiang Wang, Jinyao Yong, Yuhuan Li, Shishan Yu, Shuanggang Ma. Ring-reorganization strategy to asymmetric synthesis of illihenin A and investigation of mechanism of its antiviral action. Chinese Chem. Lett. 2025, 36, 110945.
3. Tao Xu, Fangfang Li, Zifan Feng, Chenyu Dang, Yang Yang, Jinrong Wang, Caixia Zang, Xiuqi Bao, Shishan Yu*, Dan Zhang*, Rubing Wang*. Design, synthesis and evaluation of pyrimidine derivatives as sedative-hypnotic agents. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2025, 284: 117213.
4. Zifan Fen, Jialing Deng, Mi Li, Shanshan Zhu, Jingwen Chang, Tao Xu, Chenyu Dang, Zhipeng Wang, Hongliang Wang, Ming Ji*, Rubing Wang*, Shishan Yu*. Discovery of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives of phenanthroindolizidine to reverse temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma. Bioorg. Chem. 2025, 163:108752.
5. Jinyao Yong, Mi Li, Wenrui Li, Rongmei Gao, Guozhu Su, Haiqiang Wang, Jia Yang, Li Li, Yuhuan Li, Peter Scott, Rubing Wang*, Xiaojing Wang*, Shuanggang Ma*. seco- Sesquiterpenes and acorane-type sesquiterpenes with antiviral activity from the twigs and leaves of Illicium henryi Diels. Bioorg. Chem. 2023, 131: 106324.
6. Zifan Feng, Shanshan Zhu, Wenrui Li, Maojun Yao, Hualong Song*, Rubing Wang*. Current approaches and strategies to identify Hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitors for cancer therapy. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2022, 244: 114867.
7. Rubing Wang, Shuanggang Ma*, Cooper S. Jamieson#, Rongmei Gao, Yunbao Liu, Yong Li, Xiaojing Wang, Yuhuan Li, Kendall N. Houk*, Jing Qu*, Shishan Yu*. Library construction of stereochemically diverse isomers of spirooliganin: their total synthesis and antiviral activity. Chem. Sci. 2021, 12: 7003-7011.
8. Jinyao Yong, Wenrui Li, Xiaojing Wang, Guozhu Su, Mi Li, Jianpei Zhang, Hongli Jia, Yuhuan Li, Rubing Wang*, Maoluo Gan*, Shuanggang Ma*. Illihenin A, an antiviral sesquiterpenoid with a cage-like tricyclo[6.2.2.01,5]dodecane skeleton from Illicium henryi. J. Org. Chem. 2021, 86: 2017-2022.
9. Rubing Wang, Xiaodong Ren, Jie He, Shanshan Zhu, Huiru Xie, Guozhu Su, Shuanggang Ma, Shishan Yu*. Burchellin and its stereoisomers: total synthesis, structural elucidation and antiviral activity. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2020, 18: 9081-9087.
10. Rubing Wang, Haining Lv, Shanshan Zhu, Xiaodong Ren, Song Xu, Shuanggang Ma, Yunbao Liu, Jing Qu*, Shishan Yu*. A novel and practical synthesis of CAT3: a phenanthroindolizidine alkaloid with potential in treating glioblastoma. RSC Adv. 2018, 8: 29301-29308.
11. Rubing Wang, Xiaojie Zhang, Chengsheng Chen, Guanglin Chen,Cristian Sarabia, Qiang Zhang, Shilong Zheng, Guangdi Wang, QiaoHong Chen*. Structure-activity relationship studies of 1,7-diheteroarylhepta-1,4,6-trien-3-ones with two different terminal rings in prostate epithelial cell models. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2017, 133: 208.
12. Rubing Wang, Chengsheng Chen, Xiaojie Zhang, Guanglin Chen, Qiang Zhang, Shilong Zheng, Guangdi Wang, Qiaohong Chen*. Synthesis and evaluation of 1,7-diheteroarylhepta- 1,4,6-trien-2-ones as promising anticancer agents. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2016, 110: 16.
13. Rubing Wang, Chengsheng Chen, Xiaojie Zhang, Changde Zhang, Guanglin Chen, Qiang Zhang, Shilong Zheng, Guangdi Wang, Qiaohong Chen*. Structure-activity relationship and pharmacokinetic studies of 1,5-diheteroarylpenta-1,4-dien-3-ones: A class of curcumin-based anticancer agents. J. Med. Chem. 2015, 58: 4713-4726.