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Our research program is multifaceted, encompassing the fields of organic and peptide synthesis, photochemistry, enzymology, cell and molecular biology, microscopy, and the application of drug delivery systems to mouse models of human disease. The research group’s expertise lies in the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of light-responsive agents, including sensors for chemical cytometry, inhibitors, activators, proteins (optogenetics), gene-expression, and targeted drug delivery. The field of optogenetics has been beset by protein engineering challenges that have hindered the ready acquisition of light-activatable analogs of endogenous mammalian proteins. We have developed an optogenetic engineering strategy that is straightforward and potentially applicable to a wide variety of proteins. In the area of drug delivery, we’ve created a technology that permits drug photo-release that is easily tuned to any wavelength in the visible and near IR, enabling multiple drugs to be either simultaneously or sequentially discharged from cell-based carriers. In the field of chemical cytometry, we’ve designed highly selective cell-permeable, peptide-based protein kinase substrates that are activated upon illumination. Finally, in the area of education, virtual reality experiences have been developed to introduce students to key concepts in laboratory safety. The latter, as well as ongoing work with the American Chemical Society, have been instituted in response to the recognition that a lecture setting fails to convey the sensory experience of a laboratory environment.
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CLINICAL/RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Cardiovascular disease, Cell Signaling, Chemical Biology, Drug Delivery |