| |
 Division of medicinal and natural product chemistry
The Division of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry continues to establish key relationships to advance the College’s missions of research, teaching and service. Several faculty have received key new grant funding. Michael Duffel, PhD, professor, received a five year renewal of his 20+ year continuously funded NIH grant related to the study of enzymes known as sulfotransferases and their role in drug metabolism and cancer. He is also part of an exciting new alliance with Larry Robertson, PhD, professor of occupational and environmental health, and others in the UI Colleges of Public Health and Engineering the Carver College of Medicine, as well as three other universities, to study airborne polychlorinated biphenyls and their metabolites. This led to a significant four-year NIH Superfund Basic Research Program grant in which Professor Duffel serves both as associate director of the program and leader of a research team in an individual project.
Zhendong Jin, PhD, associate professor, received a five-year NIH grant to study the synthesis and biological activity of superstolide A, a novel anti-cancer agent. The studies involve the development of a synthetic route to make enough of this complex natural product to allow cell and animal testing as well as to synthesize analogues that may improve activity and be life-saving for cancer patients. Jonathan Doorn, PhD, assistant professor, received a new five-year NIH grant that will allow him to study key agricultural pollutants as potential toxic agents that are suspected as the root cause of Parkinson’s disease. The studies aim to reveal the underlying mechanism of Parkinson’s, pointing the way toward a cure for this disease that currently afflicts millions of people. The Division has also spearheaded key relationships with the UI Carver College of Medicine Department of Pharmacology in an effort to train a well-educated PhD workforce for the future. A five-year NIH Pharmacological Sciences Training Grant will support numerous graduate students in an interdisciplinary cross-training between the chemical and biological sciences related to drug discovery.
The Division continues to provide high-quality teaching to the PharmD and graduate programs. In addition, MNPC has stepped-up its effort to provide significant service to the College and scientific community. Robert Kerns, ’96 PhD, associate professor, serves as chair of the Curriculum Committee that has taken on the role of shaping the curriculum to allow early experiential training. Jonathan Doorn, PhD, was elected 2006-2007 Teacher of the Year by the class of 2010. Others in the Division have provided valuable service in assessment of teaching and admission of students in both the PharmD and graduate programs. Horacio Olivo, PhD, associate professor, joined a national panel as a charter member of an NIH Study Section to review grants three times a year for the next four years in Washington D.C. Others have served as interim ad hoc NIH reviewers. The Division’s contributions to the College and nation are essential in building key relationships and to continue our progress in developing new research, advanced teaching and quality of service.
|
|
