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Using Inorganic Chemistry to Understand and Solve Health-Related Problems

Award Number: R35GM154824
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2029

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Using Inorganic Chemistry to Understand and Solve Health-Related Problems - Project Summary. This award is sought to support the foundation of a research program that will broadly capitalize on the unique properties of inorganic compounds to afford medicinal solutions that are complementary to those accessible via traditional organic medicinal chemistry. The underlying philosophy of the research program is that the historic and continued success of the medicinal chemistry enterprise derives from the diversity of structures and reactivities that can be accessed using organic chemistry. This diversity notwithstanding, there is a greater diversity of properties that can be accessed using inorganic compounds in addition to organic ones. There will be instances in which the chemistry of inorganic substances, or the methodologies and approaches of inorganic chemists, will allow problems to be solved that would otherwise remain intractable. During this award period, the problems that will be tackled are: (i) the lack of an antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning, and (ii) a gap in the understanding of the chemistry and biology of antimony-containing drugs that are widely used to treat the neglected tropical disease leishmaniasis. The need for an antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning stems from the fact that conventional oxygen administration cannot clear carbon monoxide from the body quickly enough in cases of severe poisoning. My research group has previously obtained proof-of-principle data indicating that a small-molecule iron-porphyrin platform can exhibit the chemistry needed by an antidote. I propose to explore this modular platform to uncover the relationships that govern carbon monoxide sequestration and biological efficacy. The parasitic disease leishmaniasis is widely treated with two antimony-containing drugs. Although effective, treatment with these drugs is accompanied by severe side effects. Efforts to improve upon these drugs are hampered by our lack of knowledge concerning their chemistry and biology. We have recently demonstrated that a range of physical inorganic techniques can be used to gain insight into the chemistry of antimony compounds, and we will apply these methods to the antileishmanial drugs. A particular focus will be placed on uncovering the molecular structures of the drugs and their biotransformation products and establishing spectroscopic signatures that will allow these transformations to be followed in complex biological media and environments. Although distinct, these two areas of investigation both center on problems that require a combined expertise in fundamental inorganic chemistry, medicinal bioinorganic chemistry, and biological chemistry. My past training, complemented by key collaborations, will allow me to establish an impactful research program in medicinal inorganic chemistry.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $374,411 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ	1156 HIGH ST	SANTA CRUZ	CA	95064	SANTA CRUZ	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	3	6/23/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$374,411
														Subtotal = $374,411

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $374,411 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ	1156 HIGH ST	SANTA CRUZ	CA	95064	SANTA CRUZ	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	2	6/6/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$374,411
														Subtotal = $374,411

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $373,310 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ	1156 HIGH ST	SANTA CRUZ	CA	95064	SANTA CRUZ	USA	Biomedical Research and Research Training	000	1	6/14/2024	NEW	$373,310
														Subtotal = $373,310

Grand Total All Awards = $1,122,132

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Using Inorganic Chemistry to Understand and Solve Health-Related Problems

Award Number: R35GM154824

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2029

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