Drug Discovery and Proteomics

Description of projects available to graduate students:
My group studies the chemical and molecular mechanisms of drug-like molecules. Targets include microtubules, topoisomerase II, the estrogen receptors, chaperone proteins, mitochondria, stem cells and molecular motors. We apply a variety of techniques and approaches to these studies, including computational chemistry (2D- and 3D-QSAR, macromolecular modeling), synthetic chemistry (design and preparation of novel agents, their radio- and stable isotope-labeled forms, photoaffinity probes), analytical chemistry (GC-, MALDI- and LC-MS, NMR), metabolism studies (microsomal and cells in culture), bioanalytical methods, and the use of human carcinoma cells and normal human epithelial cells in culture.

My lab also has a major interest in defining the chemistry of protein adducts made by xenobiotic or endogenous electrophiles, as well as alterations in protein levels in affected sites (i.e., "proteomics"). Ongoing projects in this area include one aimed at determining the relative contributions of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species in cell and tissue injury. We have developed isotope dilution mass spectrometric methods for quantitation of protein alterations.

We collaborate extensively with several faculty in the Interdisciplinary Program.

Techniques graduate student will learn:
Computational, synthetic and analytical chemistries, cell
biology, molecular techniques, high-throughput assays.