With funding from this Presidential Faculty Fellow award, Professor Nowick will elaborate the factors affecting the structure and interactions of biologically relevant molecules. For example, the aim of this work is to develop new strategies for the delivery of biologically active nucleic acid derivatives across cell membranes and to gain fundamental insight into protein structure. This is accomplished by modifying a micelle with a receptor molecule such as a nucleic acid component thymine. Subsequent, introduction of a complimentary drug which hydrogen bonds with the base provides a means for transporting a rather polar compound across lipid bilayers or biological membranes. By exploring inhibitors and a variety of other molecular probes it will be possible to gather information on 3 dimensional peptide structure and how it effects molecular transport. In specific, this research addresses the subject of protein folding which is a problem on many investigator's palettes. Understanding the principles by which physiologically active compounds are bound and transported across cell membranes would provide scientists with tools for making new drugs, making those presently known more effective and creating new artificial systems which are medically beneficial to mankind. This awardee and this project are destined to have a major impact on this subject area and thereby is highly significant.
