Biochemistry

The department's biochemical goals are to make new drugs and new drug-delivery agents to aid in the treatment of human diseases. We are currently developing new therapies for cancer, iron poisoning, tuberculosis and malaria.

Current Biochemistry Research

	New Drug-Targeting Methods to Fight Cancer We are synthesizing a series of multi-functional drugs, which append a polyamine vector to a DNA intercalator. The strategy involves using the polyamine portion of the drug to carry the lethal intercalator into the cell (e.g., a Trojan Horse approach).
	Metal Binding Drugs Siderophores are naturally-occurring iron binding agents biosynthesized by bacteria to acquire iron from their environment. Our group is developing new siderophore structures, which can target the iron transport system of virulent bacteria and provide a pathway for the selective delivery of antibiotic agents.
	New microcapsules for drug encapsulation We have developed technology to generate microcapsules, in which drugs can be encapsulated. Our technology allows for control of the aqueous self-assembly of small diamide diacids into microcapsule or microsphere architectures.
	Inositol Signaling Project Mammalian phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipases C (PI-PLC) are key effectors of the action of growth factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones.
	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.