ORGANIC SYNTHESIS AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
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Student Researcher, Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program (ASDRP), Fremont STEM Academics, Fremont, CA | August 2019 - July 2020
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Advisor: Edward Njoo, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, Stanford University
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My two research papers have been published, two manuscripts have been accepted for publication and one manuscript has been submitted for review; One research has won 4th Place in County Science Fair. My research includes the synthesis of ß-lactam antibiotics, solvatochromic compounds and the quantification of enzymatic hydrolysis kinetics
1. Design and Synthesis of Novel ß-lactam Antibiotics
DD-transpeptidase is a key enzyme responsible for cross-linking peptidoglycan during bacterial cell wall formation. We designed novel amino acid-based serine protease inhibitors targeting DD-transpeptidase utilizing a Beta-lactam ring structure found in penicillin. Furthermore, we employed the principles of green chemistry, fragment-based drug discovery, and combinatorial synthesis to synthesize 10 such inhibitors that were tested in vitro and in silico. Please see details in Manuscript and Final Research Report: Chapter 8-9.
Click Arrow for More Figures
2. Proteases Spectroscopic Kinetic Monitoring and Molecular Dynamics Simulations Using
4-nitroanilide Colorimetric Substrate
Please see details in Manuscript.
Final Presentation at ASDRP 2020 Symposium
I am presenting during [0:10-0:53, 3:53-4:53, 11:59-12:51]
3. De Novo Design and High Throughput Virtual Screening of Peptidomimetic Covalent
Inhibitors of The SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease
Please see details in Publication 1.
Final Presentation at ASDRP 2020 Symposium
I am presenting during [4:28-5:30, 6:13-6:38]
4. Spectroscopic Kinetic Monitoring and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Biocatalytic
Ester Hydrolysis in Non-Aqueous Solvent
Please see details in Publication 2.
5. Pharmacophore-Based Screening and Identification of Molecular-Level Descriptors
Applied to Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs)
Please see details in Publication 4.
6. Chemical Synthesis and Time Dependent Density-Functional Theory (TD-DFT) of
Solvatochromic Compounds
Solvatochromic compounds are key tools to monitor solvent polarity and have hence been applied in monitoring protein-ligand binding dynamics and other pH sensitive biological processes. We synthesized four solvatochromic compounds with modifications between ethoxy and methoxy side chains in the electron donating portion of the molecule to determine the effects of the increased electron density on the relative compound stabilization. We identified trends between solvent polarity and compound absorbance differential as a function of solvent dielectric charge and dipole moment through TD-DFT. Please see details in Final Research Report: Chapter 6-7.
