Current Research Projects
What we do:
The stability of pharmaceutically active compounds is an important consideration when identifying proper storage conditions, shelf life, and biological (both in vivo and in vitro) stability.
Our lab uses high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a precise analytical technique for identification and quantification of pharmaceutically-relevant small molecules and/or biologics.
Common studies in our lab:
Limit of detection (LOD) or limit of quantitfication (LOQ) studies
Hydrolytic stability of small molecules / biologics
Degradation studies
Prodrugs for controlled drug delivery and release
Compounds we work on
Doramectin
Doramectin is a polyketide macrocycle natural product that is closely related to ivermectin, which is used as an antiparasitic agent to cure river blindness. The discovery of ivermectin won the Nobel Prize in 2015. However, doramectin and similar compounds are labile to acid and undergo systematic deglycosylation events.
Efavirenz
Efavirenz is a synthetic small molecule approved by the US FDA in 1998 as a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) for the treatment of HIV-AIDS and has since saved many lives of people suffering from HIV infection. We are using HPLC to determine hydrolytic stability of efavirenz in solution.
Andrographolide
Andrographolide is a labdane diterpenoid natural product isolated from the plant Andrographis paniculata. The compound is currently in clinical trials for treatment of multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS. Moreover, it has demonstrated potent anticancer activity as a modulator of Nf-kB, a transcription factor in cells that controls cell survival.
Podophyllotoxin
Podophyllotoxin is a common lignin natural product isolated from plants which has been used as a topical agent for warts and, more recently has been investigated as an anticancer agent.