D. Howard Miles
Drug Discovery

(Full Image)

Professor of Chemistry Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology Phone: 407-823-0142 E-mail: hmiles@mail.ucf.edu Web page: Chemistry: A Ticket to Travel Around the World Web page: Miles Research Group News View Full Curriculum Vita (1997-1998) Co-Director, UCF Center for Diagnostics and Drug Development (1992-1994) Long term Technical Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development in Indonesia for Higher Education Development Support (HEDS) (1988-1992) Chair, Department of Chemistry, UCF (1986) Senior Visiting Scientist, University of Wisconsin (1986) World Bank Consultant, Department of Pharmacy, University of Indonesia

May, 2005: Howard Miles has been recommended as a 2005 CAS Teaching Incentive Program (TIP) award recipient. The TIP program rewards faculty for teaching productivity and excellence. Selection criteria include teaching quality and effectiveness, commitment to instruction, innovation, creativity, and productivity based on a portfolio of assignments and evaluations collected over the previous 4 academic years.

December, 2003: Dr. Howard Miles received three patents, so far, for organic compounds that may one day be made low-toxicity medicines. [ View Press Release ]

Research
The main goal of our research group is to discover new drug-leads that can be potentially developed into new pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of breast cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, myeloma (bone cancer), tuberculosis, and blood diseases.

Currently, we are investigating plants that are indigenous to Russia and Southeast Asia in order to discover novel bioactive compounds from them. In collaboration with Professor Olga P. Kransykh (Perm State University, Russia), we are synthesizing novel heterocyclic molecules, which are then evaluated for their toxicity in mice by Professor Sergey Solodnikov, a pharmacologist at Perm State. Then, we test those compounds with low toxicity against various disease targets in collaboration with molecular biologists at UCF (Dr. Saleh Naser-TB) and the Health Research Institute of the Orlando Regional Healthcare System (Dr. David Flory). If a novel compound shows low toxicity and high activity, then we attempt to elucidate the complete mechanism of action.

An effort is also underway to prepare new libraries of compounds from the natural product podocarpic acid. We have already documented the activity of some 20 novel synthetic compounds against colon cancer, breast cancer, myeloma, leukemia and tuberculosis. Eight patents have been issued to UCF based upon these findings. In addition, we have isolated many new bioactive natural products (such as, jucunsol, O-methyl embelin, and heritol) from natural products that are indigenous to the USA, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia and Vietnam. Finally, as part of this process, we have also developed a new synthetic methodology for the selective cleavage of b-keto esters and vinylogous b-keto esters.

Organic Drug Development The main goal of this research is to discover new drugs leads with potential for development as new pharmaceutical agents for the treatment of breast cancer, colon cancer, leukemia, myeloma (bone cancer), tuberculosis, and blood diseases.

Selected Publications

1. D. Howard Miles, Krasnykh Olga Petrovna, Saleh Naser, Solodnikov Sergey Yurjevich, Elena A. Goun, and Suslonov Vladimir Michailovich. "Methyl Esters of Substituted 4-oxo-2-butenoic acid for Treatment of Tuberculosis." Jan. 27, 2004, Patent No. US 6,683,110 B1.

2. D. Howard Miles, Solodnikov Sergey Yurjevich, Krasnykh Olga Petrovna, Korotkova Tatiana Alexandrovna, and Elena A. Goun. "Treatment of Myeloma." Feb. 3, 2004, Patent No. US 6,686,496 B1.

3. Miles, D. Howard; Krasnykh, Olga Petrovna; Saleh, Naser; Solodnikov, Sergey Yurjevich; Goun, Elena A.; Suslonov, Vladimir Michailovich. "2-Oxo-1,4-benzoxazine Compounds for Treatment of Tuberculosis." 2003, Patent No. US 6,649,610 B1.

4. Miles, D. Howard; Solonikov, Sergey Yurjevich; Krasnykh, Olga Petrovna; Pimenova, Elena Valentinovna; Goun, Elena A. "Treatment of Breast Cancer." 2003 Patent No. US 6,638,975 B1.

5. Miles, D. Howard; Solodnikov, Sergey Yurjevich; Krasnykh, Olga Petrovna; Pimenova, Elena Valentinovna; Goun, Elena A. "Treatment of Breast Cancer." 2003 Patent No. US 6,602,907 B1

6. Pimenova, Elena V.; Krasnych, Olga P.,; Goun, Elena A., Miles, Howard D. "Synthesis and Reactions of 2-Hydroxy-4-oxo-4-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-methoxyphenyl)-but-2-enoic acid Methyl Ester." Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, 2003, 121, 201-204.

Graduate Students
Graduate students will be able to work in my laboratory relative to medicinal and synthetic organic chemistry as related to the discovery of new drug leads for the treatment of cancer, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. They will also be able to perform experiments that are designed to find novel bioactive natural products from plant that are indigenous to the Azores, Florida, Indonesia, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• Group Pictures
• Chemistry: A Ticket to Travel Around the World