Chemistry

We investigate the myriad of ways microbes living in the wild (soil, water and air) affect Earth processes and our health.

Janet Funk's work includes a focus on metastatic breast cancer that spans the research spectrum from bench to bedside, translational arthritis studies of the pharmacokinetics and safety of turmeric, and collaborative endocrinological studies evaluating the effects of obesity and insulin resistance on bone development in Hispanic girls, as well as effects of obesity on breast cancer risk in older women.

The broad objective of our research program in Bioorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology is to construct protein therapeutics, protein mimetics, biomaterials, and biosensors. Our research at the University of Arizona is highly multidisciplinary and utilizes techniques in organic synthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology, and a host of physical characterization methods. Our research motto is simple: Unraveling mysteries and Enabling discoveries.

Vijay Gokhale's work includes the use of medicinal chemistry in the development of small molecule therapeutics for neuropathic pain, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and acute lung injury and cancer.

Our research is focused on elucidating the structure and function of titin and nebulin, two large filamentous proteins found in muscle. We use a range of model systems with a major focus on KO and TG mouse models. The techniques that we use range from single molecule mechanics, (immuno) electron microscopy, exon microarray analysis, in vitro motility assays, low angle X-ray diffraction, cell physiology (including calcium imaging), muscle mechanics, and isolated heart physiology.

Discovery of natural products from plants and their associated microorganisms as potential drugs to treat cancer. Application of medicinal chemistry approach for structure-activity relationship studies and to obtain compounds for preclinical evaluation. Development of alternative agricultural systems for sustainable utilization of natural resources.

Laurence Hurley's long-time research interest is in molecular targeting of DNA, first by covalent binders (CC-1065 and psorospermin), then as compounds that target protein–DNA complexes (pluramycins and Et 743), and most recently as four-stranded DNA structures (G-quadruplexes and i-motifs). He was the first to show that targeting G-quadruplexes could inhibit telomerase (Sun et al. [1997] J. Med. Chem., 40, 2113) and that targeting G-quadruplexes in promoter complexes results in inhibition of transcription (Siddiqui-Jain et al. [2002] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 99, 11593).

We are developing low-cost in vivo microscopy devices that can visualize cellular details of human tissues in vivo and help disease diagnosis and treatment in low-resource settings, high-speed tissue microscopy technologies that can examine entire organ under risk of having malignant diseases and detect small, early-stage lesions, and miniature microscopy devices that have the potential to examine anatomically-challenging human organs and facilitate integration of microscopic imaging with other imaging modalities.

Walter Klimecki's research program involves the balance between the particular DNA sequence “versions” of genes that we inherit from our ancestors, and the particular environmental exposures that we experience throughout our lives. The Klimecki lab studies diseases resulting from human exposure to arsenic, contributing to a better understanding of the inherited genetic differences between people that result in altered chemical processing of arsenic after it enters the body.

We are interested in the effects of early life exposures to environmental toxicants on lung growth and development. We determine if the early life exposures leads to adult disease.

Developing safer, more stable sunscreens

Precise diagnosis and treatment of disease requires an ability to target agents to specific tissues and cell types within those tissues. We are developing agents that exhibit cell type specificity for these purposes.

We seek to produce new drugs that harness molecules produced during the natural immune response in order to treat cancer and pain. Such compounds may also provide new treatments for heart failure and alcoholism.

We investigate how proteins work in healthy organisms and how they fail in disease. We determine the atomic structures of proteins and the underlying biochemistry that gives rise to protein function. We also develop new proteins as drug targets for treating cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Armin's research focuses on the effect of aerosol particles on the environment, clouds and rainfall, climate, and public health/welfare. A suite of synergistic methods are used for this research, including laboratory experiments, ground and airborne field measurements, modeling, and remote sensing observations. Since 2004, he has participated in 15 airborne field projects, including six as a mission PI with the CIRPAS Twin Otter (sponsored by ONR). Currently, Armin is involved with a multi-year NASA project called CAMP2EX (Cloud and Aerosol Monsoonal Processes-Philippines Experiment; https://espo.nasa.gov/camp2ex/content/CAMP2Ex) and is serving as the PI of a NASA Earth Venture Suborbital-3 (EVS-3) mission called ACTIVATE (Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment; https://activate.larc.nasa.gov/).

The kidney plays a critical role in clearing the body of potentially harmful compounds, including many commonly prescribed drugs. Unfortunately, this also sets the kidney up as a site where multiple drugs can interact in unwanted ways. We study the cellular transport processes responsible for renal drug clearance with the intent of developing predictive models that can assist clinicians, drug companies, and the Food & Drug Administration in their efforts to increase patient safety.