We seek to acquire an X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer system that will allow us to study free-radicals as spin labels in different environments or as reactive intermediates in the elucidation of electron-transfer mechanisms. Several of the proposed projects are highly interdisciplinary and will yield broadly-applicable results. These projects include: (1) quantification of oligodynamic action and the characterization of novel, environmentally-safe organometallic plastics with potential biocidal properties (slowing or inhibiting biofilm formation), which would be relevant to the development of antifouling marine coatings or improved materials for medical devices; (2) the study of a newly-discovered component involved in iron transport in biological systems, which will result in a new understanding of how this essential element is utilized in living tissue, and may lead to new treatment methods for various iron-related disorders such as anemia or hemochroma-tosis; (3) the study of highly-reactive oxygen species that are implicated in mutation and aging, which would open new vistas in cancer research and in the field of geriatrics; and (4) the study of structure reactivity relationships at the active site in engineered cytochrome proteins, which will provide insight to better understand how proteins adopt the critical shapes required for biological activity.
We seek to acquire instrumentation that will allow us, through various projects, to study magnetic properties of electrons in different environments. Several of these projects are interdisciplinary, and involve inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, micro-biology, and/or materials science. Other projects focus on the study of how some types of reactions take place. One of the more broadly-based projects will establish a correlation between certain toxic metals which have been chemically incorporated into plastics, and how rapidly a slimy coating, produced by bacteria, forms in a water environment. This slimy coating is known as a biofilm, and is involved, for example, in the attachment of barnacles to ships and the clogging of tubing used in medical devices in a process called biofouling. We will use the results of our studies to design environmentally safe materials and coatings that slow or stop biofouling. Other projects with broad applications include (1) the study of a newly-discovered molecule involved in the movement of iron in living tissue; (2) the study of specialized oxygen-containing molecules that may be involved in mutation and aging processes; and (3) the study of biochemically-engineered molecules to learn more about how such molecules work. We consider the teaching of research to be essential, and participation in research is required for all academic degrees awarded in our department. Thus, our students - many of whom are women and under-represented minority students - will receive hands-on experience with equipment that is widely used in industry, oil exploration, medicine, forensics, and other 'real-world' applications.
