Polymeric Materials Synthesis and Characterization
Timothy F. Patten
UC Berkeley, Ph.D
Carnegie Mellon Univ.,
Postdoc
The Patten Group develops methods to prepare well-defi ned polymeric materials, such as polymer brushes on inorganic surfaces and self-assembling polymer hydrogels. We characterize their properties and behavior to generate fundamental knowledge that will impact fi elds such as tissue engineering, lithography, and biotech assays.
patten@chem.ucdavis.edu
Organic Synthesis with Polymers,
Dendrimers, Organometallics
Neil Schore
Columbia, Ph.D
Caltech, Postdoc
Camille & Henry Dreyfus
Teacher-Scholar
The Schore group investigates polymer attachment of organic substrates, catalysts, and reagents that can signifi cantly modify their reactivity and selectivity. We seek ways to use polymer attachment to recycle and reuse catalysts multiple times, reducing both waste and expense. The polymer-bound Ti-substituted dendrimer (right) shows catalysis of C-C bond formation far superior to solution phase systems.
schore@chem.ucdavis.edu
Synthetic Methods, Natural Products,
Chemical Biology
Jared T. Shaw
UC Irvine, Ph.D
Harvard, Postdoc
Broad Institute Fellow
(2002 - 2005)
The Shaw group focuses on the development of new reactions and the stereoselective synthesis of natural products and other biologically active molecules. We recently developed a novel four component reaction (4CR) that is being applied to the assembly of several complex polycyclic alkaloids and transcription factor inhibitors. We are also synthesizing several natural products that target bacteria resistant to current antibiotics.
shaw@chem.ucdavis.edu
Theoretical Organic Chemistry,
Natural Products Biosynthesis
Dean J. Tantillo
UCLA, Ph.D
Cornell, Postdoc
JPOC Award for Early
Excellence in Physical
Organic Chemistry
The Tantillo group’s research is driven by puzzling mechanistic questions. The group is particularly interested in elucidating the origins of low activation barriers and high regio- and stereoselectivities for various cascade polycyclization reactions used by Nature and by organic chemists to synthesize complex natural products. A synergistic combination of theory and experiment is used to tackle such problems.
tantillo@chem.ucdavis.edu
Synthetic Biology and Metabolic
Engineering
The Atsumi group are applying a synthetic biology
Shota Atsumi
Kyoto University, Ph.D.
University of Arizona &
UCLA, Postdoc which strives for the optimization of desired properties and functions, such as the production of valuable biochemicals. Currently, our main focus is developing synthetic organisms capable of converting CO2 directly to biofuels.
satsumi@ucdavis.edu
Enzyme Reaction Mechanisms and Enzymatic Biofuel Cells
Michael D. Toney
UC Berkeley, Ph.D
University of Basel
(Switzerland), Postdoc
UC Berkeley, Postdoc
Our research is focused on both fundamental and applied aspects of enzyme catalysis. We seek to understand how enzymes catalyze chemical reactions by enormous factors and control reaction specifi city.
Additionally, we are involved in applying our expertise in the medical and energy realms of chemistry.
mdtoney@ucdavis.edu
Chemistry Graduate Studies at UC Davis in
The Davis campus and the Chemistry department have of a strong tradition of interdisciplinary cooperation and research. UC Davis is in the top ranks of research universities, and ranked 4th in the UC system for research funding. The Chemistry Department at UC Davis has recently expanded the Organic and Chemical Biology programs by hiring new faculty, establishing new research infrastructure in the form of a Chemical Biology Core Facility and increasing graduate course
About Davis, CA: UC Davis is centrally-located in the delta region of Northern California: 15 miles from Sacramento, 40 miles from the wine country of Sonoma and Napa
Valley, 60 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area, and 100 miles from Lake Tahoe. For outdoor enthusiasts, the ocean and mountains are both within a two-hour drive.
Davis is also renowned for its bicycles: there are more than 100 miles of bike paths on campus and in the city.
www.chem.ucdavis.edu
@

Biomolecular NMR Studies of
Protein Structure and Function
James B. Ames
UC Berkeley, Ph.D
Stanford, Postdoc ames @ chem.ucdavis.edu
Nucleic Acids Chemical Biology
Peter A. Beal
Caltech, Ph.D
Harvard, Postdoc
Camille Dreyfus
Teacher Scholar
The Ames group uses NMR and other biophysical approaches to elucidate the atomic-level structure and dynamics of selected membrane-targeting proteins involved in vision and signal transduction.
Our research is focused on calcium sensor proteins in the brain and retina known as calcium-myristoyl switches. Our goal is to understand the atomiclevel conformational changes that control their cellular location and capacity to interact with membrane-bound targets and/or DNA elements.
The Beal laboratory uses synthetic chemistry and molecular biology to study and control ribonucleic acids important in biology and medicine. In addition, molecular evolution carried out in the Beal lab generates new RNA structures and new RNAmodifying enzymes with valuable properties.
www.chem.ucdavis.edu
Structure of Ca 2+ Sensors
C a 2+
Ames et al.
Nature 389:198
B iochemistry 41:5776
J B C 281: 37237 beal @ chem.ucdavis.edu
Chemical Biology/Glycoscience
Xi Chen
Wayne State, Ph.D
Neose Technologies, Inc.,
(2001 - 2003)
Sloan Fellow
Beckman Young Investigator
ACS CARB Young Investigator chen @ chem.ucdavis.edu
The Chen group is interested in understanding carbohydrate-related bioprocesses in the areas of cancer, infl ammation, and bacterial infection using chemoenzymatically synthesized complex carbohydrates and high-throughput screening methods. We also use biochemistry and molecular biology tools to elucidate the catalytic mechanisms of carbohydrate biosynthetic enzymes.
Chemical Biology of DNA Repair
Sheila S. David
U. Minnesota, Ph.D
Caltech, Postdoc
Beckman Young Investigator
A.P. Sloan Fellow
The David Laboratory studies enzymes that are involved in the repair of damaged DNA bases.
We use the molecular insight and approaches of organic chemistry in combination with the powerful techniques of molecular and cell biology to uncover the molecular underpinnings of this important process. Indeed, our work has helped establish the important role these enzymes play in preventing carcinogenesis.
Organic Synthesis, Catalysis, and Bioconjugation ssdavid @ ucdavis.edu
Annaliese K. Franz
UC Irvine, Ph.D
Harvard, Postdoc
The Franz research group is developing new reactions and catalysts for the effi cient synthesis of therapeutically-relevant molecules and the synthetic challenge of developing new reactions for protein modifi cation and bioconjugation. An integral part of our research is to investigate the mechanism and molecular interactions that dictate the reactivity and selectivity of these synthetic transformations.
franz @ chem.ucdavis.edu
APPLY ONLINE FOR GRADUATE STUDY AT UC DAVIS AT http://chemgroups.ucdavis.edu/~graduate www.chem.ucdavis.edu
Chemical Solutions to Biological Problems
Jacquelyn
Gervay-Hague
UCLA, Ph.D
Yale, Postdoc
Assoc. Editor: J. Org. Chem.
A.P. Sloan Fellow
ACS Horace Isbell Awardee gervay @ chem.ucdavis.edu
Diversity-Oriented Synthesis and Chemical Biology
Mark J. Kurth
U. Minnesota, Ph.D
Univ. de Genéve, Postdoc
The Gervay-Hague research program is focused on understanding carbohydrate-related bioprocesses directed toward the design and synthesis of antibacterial, antiviral and anticancer chemotherapeutics. Although the disease states differ, our method of lead discovery consistently involves understanding disease processes at a molecular level so that rational drug design can be implemented. Our work is characterized by a total approach to drug design using organic synthesis and molecular modeling as fundamental experimental tools.
The Kurth group employs synthetic chemistry
– primarily focused on heterocycles – targeting small libraries of discreet compounds as well as large one-bead one-compound mass tagged on-bead libraries. Current efforts are focused on cystic fi brosis, lymphoma, and chorismate-utilizing enzymes.
mjkurth @ chem.ucdavis.edu
Organic Synthesis,
Molecular Modeling, Macrocycles
Mark Mascal
Univ. of London, Ph.D
Univ. of Strasbourg, Postdoc
The Mascal group’s principal research interests are in: 1) the design and synthesis of biologically inspired molecules which aggregate in specifi c patterns;
2) selective receptors for both cations and anions;
3) spherical, bowl-shaped, and other topologically interesting molecules; 4) concise natural product synthesis; 5) the modeling of molecular interactions and exotic “virtual” molecules, which gradually progress from our imagination, to the cyberspace of our computers, and fi nally to the laboratory.
mascal @ chem.ucdavis.edu
Bioconjugate Chemistry, Imaging
Claude Meares
Stanford, Ph.D
Distinguished Professor
Founding Editor-in Chief:
Bioconjugate Chem.
The Meares group is known best for preparing bifunctional chelating agents, including the DOTA reagents now widely used for scintigraphy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), radiotherapy and other applications. We also conceived and developed pretargeted imaging, for which we recently created antibodies with infi nite affi nity. (Right: Engineered antibody binding surface permanently capturing a
DOTA(Gd) reagent).
cfmeares @ ucdavis.edu
Synthetic Bio-Organic Chemistry and Molecular Recognition
Krishnan Nambiar
University of New Brunswick
(Canada), Ph.D
Harvard, Postdoc
Our research centers on Peptide design and folding, synthesis of antimicrobial peptidomimetics, inhibitors of virus-cell fusion inhibitors, cyclic peptide inhibitors of sulfotransferases as anticancer agents, inhibitors of beta amyloid aggregation, novel analgesic agents and C-14 labeled Folic acid and lutein derivatives for metabolic studies.
nambiar @chem.
ucdavis.edu
APPLY ONLINE FOR GRADUATE STUDY AT UC DAVIS AT http://chemgroups.ucdavis.edu/~graduate