This week we profile a recent publication in Chemical Science from Dr. Tim Storr (second from left)
and Dr. Michael Jones (fifth from left) at Simon Fraser University.
Can you provide a brief overview of your lab’s current research focus?
My lab in the Chemistry Department at SFU is focused on the design of multifunctional agents to treat disease. We have a longstanding interest in the development of small-molecules that target dysregulated metal ions while also providing additional therapeutic effects such as protein binding and antioxidant properties. We have applied these compounds to neurodegeneration, Wilson’s disease, and more recently cancer.
What is the significance of the findings in this publication?
This work was spearheaded by a former graduate student Michael Jones (5th from left) who performed the majority of the research at SFU, but in collaboration with his postdoctoral supervisors at the University of Calgary (Profs. Stys, Tsutsui, Wong), completed toxicity studies in neuronal culture. The major findings of this work were the multifunctional properties of the compounds, and the neuroprotective effect of a specific phenol-triazole compound in human neuronal culture likely resulting from both antioxidant properties and modulation of the amyloid-beta peptide aggregation pathway. Protein NMR studies to probe small-molecule binding were completed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Michigan.
What are the next steps for this research?
We have initiated structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on the most promising compound, and in collaboration with the group in Calgary are planning to investigate the therapeutic effects of the lead compound in vivo.
This research was funded by:
Work in my lab is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Michael Smith Foundation, Brain Canada, and the Alzheimer’s Association (US).
