The Institute of Chemistry and SINTMOL Lab invite everyone to attend the lecture of Prof. Martin Conda-Sheridan from the University of Nebraska Medical Center
The Institute of Chemistry (UFMS) will welcome, on 06/19/2018, Professor Martin Conda-Sheridan from the University of Nebraska Medical Center for a lecture entitled “Antimicrobial Activity of Amphiphilic Peptides”. Dr Conda-Sheridan will present the synthesis of the peptide molecules, their characterization using techniques such as circular dichroism and transmission electron microscopy and their biological evaluation. Professor Conda-Sheridan will discuss the key features that confer activity to these amphiphilic peptides. In addition, he will present experimental data to disclose their mechanism of action and their in vitro and in vivo activity. As a goal, Professor Martin wishes to foster academic research collaborations between UFMS and University of Nebraska Medical Center. Teachers, postdoc, undergraduate, graduate students from Chemistry, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Science programs and, to whom it may concern, are invited to attend this unique event.
Details
- Date: June 19, 2018
- Time: 02:00 pm
- Place: Auditorium of the Institute of Chemistry (UFMS)
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Short Biography: Martin Conda-Sheridan was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He received his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from Brigham Young University (Utah, USA) and a Masters in Organometallic Chemistry from the University of Utah (USA). Then, he move to West Lafayette, Indiana to pursue a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology under the direction of Mark Cushman (Purdue University). Upon graduation, he moved to Chicago to complete his Postdoctoral training in Materials Sciences at Northwestern University in the group of Sam Stupp. In 2015, he started his independent career in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. His research groups works at the interface of medicinal chemistry and material sciences. His main interests are the development of small molecules and nanostructures to treat bacterial infections and cancer.
Antimicrobial Activity of Amphiphilic Peptides
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has listed bacterial infections as 1 of the 3 greatest threats to human health. Bacterial infections are a gigantic financial burden that some analysts estimate is costing $ 55 B/yr in the USA. The use of small drugs, which target metabolic process within the pathogen, inhibit bacterial proteins, or block protein-protein interactions, is the common line of defense against these infections. However, bacteria can mutate, building resistance to these drugs. A technology that can overcome bacterial resistance and synergize with common antibiotics should provide a more effective treatment against damaging pathogens. An interesting alternative is the use of cationic amphiphilic systems that can disrupt the bacterial membrane. In this seminar, I will present two antibacterial systems made of cationic peptides. The first system is based on the structure of the antimicrobial peptide Citropin 1.1 (Cit 1.1, Figure 1). The other systems consist of self-assembled cationic biomaterials made of peptide amphiphiles (Figure 2). I will present the synthesis of the peptidic molecules, their characterization using techniques such as circular dichroism and transmission electron microscopy and their biological evaluation. I will also discuss the key features that confer activity to these amphiphilic peptides. In addition, I will present experimental data to understand their mechanism of action and their in vitro and in vivo activity.
Figure 1. Structure of Citropin 1.1
Figure 2. Structure of a Peptide Amphiphile
See pictures of the event – 06/19/2018:
Source: INQUI Wesite