Description of Research
Our research program is based on a combination of organic chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics directed towards understanding the various roles nitric oxide (NO) performs in biological systems. Nitric oxide directly participates in the control of blood flow and pressure, neurotransmission, and the immune response and the regulation of NO levels represents a therapeutic strategy for disease states characterized by abnormal NO production. Our laboratory examines a number of areas of NO chemistry: 1) the nitric oxide producing reactions of hydroxyurea and the interaction of hydroxyurea with biological targets to understand the chemistry responsible for the use of this compound as a sickle cell disease treatment, 2) the interaction of small molecules with nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme responsible for biochemical NO production from L-arginine and 3) the synthesis and evaluation of new organic NO and nitroxyl (HNO) delivery agents. In addition to these projects, our laboratory works on two other projects: 1) synthesizing compounds to measure the redox status of sulfur containing proteins and 2) the development of new synthetic organic methodology for the preparation of biologically active compounds. Students in our group are exposed to organic synthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics (especially spectroscopy) and bio-analytical chemistry.--READ MORE--