Profile

We investigate the interactions of metals in biological systems, with emphasis on nucleic acids. This interdisciplinary research area combines chemical biology, bioinorganic chemistry, and biophysical chemistry.  Research topics include the roles of metal ions in catalytic RNAs (ribozymes) and platinum compounds as RNA crosslinking reagents for enhancing structure-function studies. We are particularly interested in understanding how metal compounds, including anticancer agents, interact with cellular RNAs; RNA is a fascinating biopolymer that plays many different roles in regulating biological processes. To advance this unexplored area, we are engaged in developing high-throughput and novel methods and reagents for measuring in-cell platinum adducts and their biological consequences. In recent work we have synthesized a suite of new Pt(II) compounds modified for click-chemistry that enable post-treatment detection, including imaging bound Pt in mammalian cell culture and enriching for Pt-bound targets for downstream analysis. Another current direction is to understand the surprising specificity of certain Pt compounds to influence the nucleolus, the site of ribosome biogenesis and 'Achilles heel' of a growing cell.  Our laboratory team is interdisciplinary and inclusive, and we welcome a range of backgrounds including synthetic, biological, inorganic, and analytical chemistry.