Chemistry Commons^™

Development Of Sensitive And Fast Immunoassay For Lyme Disease, Justin Cosgrove

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Testing for Lyme disease has proven to be time consuming and inaccurate, especially in its early stages. The goal of this project is to develop a new diagnostic that has improved timeliness, sensitivity, and selectivity. This test is based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or ELISA. To improve on what is currently in place, magnetic beads will be used. Unlike a normal ELISA, these magnetic beads are the binding site of the capture antibody instead of the microplate surface. With greatly increased surface area from the beads, the process can be much faster and detect far lesser concentrations of protein …

Encapsulation Of Molecular Probes In Polymer Nanoparticles For Visual Detection Of Heavy Metals In Water, Kyla Dewittie

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Heavy metal contamination is a problem worldwide, and it has dangerous effects on humans and the environment. Lead is one of the most common metal toxins due to its presence in a variety of household items including paint and pipes. Mercury is another common toxin that is dangerous due to its long half-life which causes it to buildup in not only water sources, but also inhabiting wildlife. The consumption of both metals is detrimental to human health, therefore proper detection methods are needed. Various detection methods exist but are not cost or time efficient. Molecular probes could be a solution …

Luminescence From Metal-Organic Frameworks: Structural Modification And Small Molecule Uptake, Nicholas A. Erisman, Brandon A. Molina

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are materials that contain metal centers coordinated by organic molecules that form an extended, porous lattice. These MOFs are of interest in the field of sensing for their unique properties such as high stability, high surface area, high crystallinity, and ability to perform small molecule exchange. Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs) are of specific interest since they contain the potential to detect volatile organic compounds via adsorption into the porous framework. 1 Luminescent properties can be imparted to MOFs in several ways. Previous projects focused on the inclusion of the luminescent osmium complex Os(dcphen)(CO)2 (Cl)2 (dcphen = 1,10-phenanthroline-4,7-dicarboxylic …

Synthesis Of Asymmetrically-Substituted Tetraphenyl-Class Porphyrins, William J. Davis

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Porphyrins are macrocyclic compounds that can be synthesized and used in photodynamic therapy (PDT), a noninvasive and selective method designed to eliminate diseased tissue (such as cancer) without killing healthy tissue. PDT involves the following three steps. A photosensitizer enters a cancerous cell, is excited by electromagnetic radiation, and transfers the energy to molecular oxygen which is then converted into singlet oxygen, which triggers cellular apoptosis. However, for a porphyrin to be utilized as a therapeutic in PDT, it must satisfy the following two criteria: the porphyrin needs to possess the correct solubility to pass through the cell membrane and …

Optimization Of The Control Line On A Lateral Flow Assay For Lead (Ii) Detection In Drinking Water, Yudeliz Sanchez

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

According to a recent survey by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are between 6 to 10 million lead (Pb2+) service lines in the country. Consumption of lead can cause brain and kidney damage. Our goal is to create a simple, inexpensive paper-based assay to make lead testing accessible. Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are rapid tests (5-30 mins) used to detect or quantify analytes in mixtures. Each LFA has a control line and a test line(s). The control line ensures the test is working. In our test, the control line is composed of neutral red polymer nanoparticles, which …

Design And Synthesis Of Hoogsteen-Binding Peptide Nucleic Acid Monomers With Extended Linkers For Triple Helical U-A Recognition In Rna, Angelina B. Giglio-Tos, Tristan L. Mabee, James A. Mackay

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

RNA provides many functions within biological systems. For example, noncoding RNA (ncRNA), a form of RNA that is not part of transcription or translation, serves a variety of unique roles, such as catalysis or gene regulation. ncRNA generally forms double helical motifs that are ripe for molecular recognition. Sequence selective recognition of double helical RNA (dhRNA) can be achieved using Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA) through triple helical formation by Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding of PNA nucleobases in the major groove of dhRNA. However, strong, and selective recognition is typically limited to polypurine strands and pyrimidine recognition remains an unsolved problem. A …

Creation Of A Cell Line For Rapid Identification Of Potential Receptor Agonists Or Antagonists, Brandon Baxter

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Developing drugs to combat disease is costly and time-consuming. Efficient methods for rapid drug screening for diseases such as Type 2 diabetes mellitus or cancer would be extremely advantageous. Diabetes effects 33.3 million people in the United States and 462 million worldwide and 17 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. Many diseases result from the cells inability to respond to external signals that bind to receptors on the cytoplasmic membrane. This research attempted to create a cell line containing an intracellular protein fused to GFP. This protein would alter its cellular location and serve as an indicator …

Synthesis Of Modified Isoorotic Acid Nucleobases To Compare Pi-Stacking And Hydrogen Bonding Interactions In Pna:Rna­2 Triple Helix Formation, Kyle Hess

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Coding RNA has been studied extensively, yet comprises only 2% of transcribed DNA, leaving a vast amount of non-coding RNA virtually unexplored. Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are excellent biotechnological molecules that allow for exploration of RNA structure and function. This project focuses on comparing the binding affinity of hydrogen bonding and pi-stacking interactions within nucleobase modified PNAs to target double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sequences through triple helix formation. Hydrogen bonds are favorable dipole interactions between an acidic proton and another electronegative atom, and pi-stacking interactions result from electronic stacking of electron-dense and electron-poor sections in aromatic rings. Synthesis of previous extended …

Synthesis Of An Amino Functionalized Extended Nucleobase For Triple Helix Formation And Recognition Of The A-U Base Pair In Double-Stranded Rna, Emily Harding

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Research has uncovered previously unknown roles for non-coding RNA as enzymes, gene regulators, and post-transcriptional modifiers. However, additional undiscovered functions of non-coding RNA likely remain. To better understand the function of non-coding RNA, we design triplex-forming peptide nucleic acid (PNA), with modified nucleobases, that binds sequence-specifically to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and potentially inhibits the function of the dsRNA. PNA contains a neutral amide backbone that has favorable binding to negatively-charged dsRNA. Our modified nucleobases subsequently allow for sequence specific molecular recognition.

Here we report an extended nucleobase derived from isoorotic acid containing an amino group, that when protonated should exhibit …

Optimization Of Simple And Inexpensive Paper-Based Assay For Lead, Kyla Dewittie, Sagar S. Patel

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines state that lead is a toxic metal that humans should not be exposed to in any amount. Due to corrosion of water pipes, lead can enter drinking water and be consumed by millions of people. As a group, we decided to reduce this issue by creating a simple and inexpensive paper-based test to detect lead(II) in water. The signal for this test results from encapsulating a phenanthroline-based probe in synthesized polymer nanoparticles. This test will display a colorimetric change, turning from yellow to bright orange if lead(II) is present in the water system. In …

Optimization And Scale-Up Of A 2-Aminopyridine Derived Peptide Nucleic Acid Monomer, Tristan L. Mabee

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

RNA serves a variety of functions within biological systems. Noncoding RNA (ncRNA), a form of RNA that is not part of transcription or translation, serves a variety of unique roles, such as a catalyst and a gene switch. In these capacities ncRNA generally forms double helical motifs. Sequence selective recognition of double stranded ribonucleic acids (dsRNA) can be achieved by Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA) through the formation of a triple helix in the major groove of dsRNA. In triple helix recognition, a synthetic nucleobase, 2-aminopyridine (or M) can detect the guanine in a Watson-Crick base pair within double stranded RNA. …

Synthesis Of Asymmetrically-Substituted Tetraphenyl-Class Porphyrins, William J. Davis

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

No abstract provided.

Luminescent Metal-Organic Frameworks For The Detection Of Alcohols, Lucas Stehle, Kristi A. Kneas, Jeffrey A. Rood

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), porous materials composed of metal ions and organic linkers, have broad applications in separation, small molecule storage, and catalysis. Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs) hold great potential in the development of sensors, and, with their relatively straightforward syntheses that produce predictable, homogeneous, extended structures, should result in good sensor-to-sensor reproducibility and uniform response. In addition, subtle differences in overall LMOF structure, metal ion coordination, pore surfaces, and host-guest interactions within pores should have significant impact on observed photoluminescence and provide numerous strategies for analyte detection, which shows promise for the detection of alcohols. Highlighted here is the development …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Oxovanadium Compounds As Potential Insulin Mimetic Molecules, Kaitlyn Mercando, Jeffrey A. Rood

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Oxovanadium(IV) complexes have numerous applications in diverse areas such as catalysts for organic transformations and as anti-fungal agents. Complexes that this research focused on have shown potential in acting as insulin mimetics. The goal of this research was to synthesis and fully characterize a new series of oxovanadium complexes and then investigate the insulin mimetic properties of the complexes with adipose cell culture work. Vanadyl complexes involving a series of salicylaldiminato ligands [C6H5N=CHC6H4OH (L1), 2,6-iPrC6H3N=CHC6H4OH (L2), C6H5N=CH-3,5-tBu2C6H2OH (L3) and 2,6-iPrC6H3N=CH-3,5-tBu2C6H2OH (L4)] were synthesized and structurally characterized. The ligand set was investigated due to the ease of sterically tuning the substituents …

Incorporation Of Luminescent Osmium Complexes Into Metal-Organic Frameworks: Optimization Of Osmium Complex Synthesis And Effect Of Mof Structure On Complex Inclusion And Emission, Brandon A. Molina, Lucas Stehle, Jeffrey A. Rood

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are materials that contain metal centers coordinated by organic molecules that form an extended, porous lattice. These MOFs are of interest in the field of sensing for their unique properties such as high stability, high surface area, high crystallinity, and ability to perform small molecule exchange. Luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs) are of specific interest since they contain the potential to detect odorless volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via adsorption into the porous framework. Luminescent properties can be imparted to MOFs in several ways. This project focused on the inclusion of a luminescent osmium complex into the MOF scaffold. …