Specialty:
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Location:
University of Colorado, Boulder, Dept of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boulder
Contact: (303) 492-6193 tad.koch@colorado.edu
Prerequisites:
3 Years of college chemistry / biochemistry
Number of Openings: 1
Program Objective:
To design, synthesize, and evaluate doxazolidine based drug candidates for the treatment of liver, pancreatic, non-small cell lung and breast cancer and to devise drug targeting strategies.
Program Description:
Doxazolidine is a formaldehyde conjugate of the clinical anti-tumor drug doxorubicin bearing an oxazolidine ring at the amino sugar. Although doxazolidine differs in structure from doxorubicin by a single carbon, it operates by a different mechanism. Doxazolidine is active against both sensitive and resistant cancer cells and has a short half-life. We are designing prodrugs of doxazolidine that are robust and activated by enzymes highly expressed by various cancer cells or normal cells at the microenvironment of cancer cells. We are also exploring targeted delivery of the enzymes that activate the prodrugs to tumors.