Department Lecture Series
Thursday Sept 20, 9:45 am, Smith 331

Chemical Approaches to Understanding Copper and Peroxide
Biology in the Brain

Abstract: The brain requires among the highest concentrations of copper and iron in the body for normal physiology, but cellular mismanagement of these redox-active metals and their contribution to oxidative stress is connected to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related neurodegenerative diseases. Motivated to interrogate the complex roles of metal ions and redox biology in neurological health and disease, we are developing new small-molecule fluorescent and MR-based probes to selectively track metal ions and oxygen metabolites in living cells at the molecular level. The synthesis and characterization of our most recent platforms and their application for molecular imaging in living systems will be presented.