UMBC Chemistry and Biochemistry professionalInterests

(A) 'Fat' Nucleosides and Nucleotides as Potential Anticancer and Antiviral Agents: These novel ring-expanded ('fat') nucleoside/ nucleotide analogues, designed and synthesized in this lab, have beenfound to be potent, broad-spectrum anticancer and antiviral agents with little, if any, toxicity to the host. Our current focus is on prostate and breast cancers, as well as on West Nile, Hepatits B, and Hepatitis C viruses. 'Fat' nucleotides are potential modulators of tumor and/or viral DNA/RNA when incorporated, which may consequently result in nucleic acid chain termination (see Fig.1), and hence inhibition of the viral or tumor replication. In addition, because of their unique structural, spatial, and conformational characteristics, 'fat' nucleosides/-tides are excellent probes for nucleic acid metabolism, structure, and function.

(B) Artificial Blood for Emergency Transfusions: One of our research areas focuses on developing substitutes for human blood for emergency transfusions. In view of the current world events engulfed in terrorism and wars, the need for a blood substitute is becoming increasingly pressing. The scarcity of blood for emergency transfusions, especially when rare types are needed, the possible transmission of diseases associated with blood transfusion such as AIDS and hepatitis, the limitations on storage stability of intact blood, the necessity for blood typing before transfusion, and not to mention the ancillary religious reasons for non-acceptance of donated blood by certain ethnic individuals, give compelling impetus to pursue an alternative for whole blood. To this end, we are involved in computer-aided design and chemical synthesis of novel polyfunctional organic reagents to cross‑link hemoglobin (see Fig.2). The modified cell-free hemoglobins are to be used in emergency transfusions with no necessity to type or cross-match the patient’s blood and with no fears of transmission of blood-borne diseases. The covalently cross-linked hemoglobins are supposed to overcome the two major problems associated with cell-free hemoglobins, including their quick elimination by kidneys, and their too high oxygen affinity that prevents adequate oxygen transport from lungs to tissues.