CU chemistry students present at regional meeting

Research projects by Cameron University chemistry students were among the 250 undergraduate oral and poster presentations featured at the recent American Chemical Society Southwest Regional Meeting in Waco, Texas.

CU students in attendance were Evan Capuccio, Leilani Hunter, Wyatt Johnson, Bianca Karnes, Daniel Kim, Solomon Meraz and Jacob Thorne. They were accompanied by faculty members Dr. Ann Nalley, Dr. Rajesh Nayak and Dr. KD Priyasantha.

Kim, a 2023 CU graduate in biology with a minor in chemistry now pursuing a master of business administration degree, won first prize in the oral competition with his project “Investigation of Photophysical and Hydrodynamic Properties of Fluorescent Probe Molecules in Aqueous and Reverse Micelle Environment” and second place with his poster “Investigation of electronic and hydrodynamic properties of fluorescent Texas red dyes in reverse micelle environment.”

Kim used reverse micelle as a model system to unravel solvation dynamics and photophysics of fluorescent dye Cyanine-5 and Texas-red using steady-state and cutting-edge time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. His research finding is significant and has shed light on how this fluorescent label can be used to track protein folding and mis-folding in connection with Alzheimer’s Disease, professors said. The graphene oxide nano particles are used in many biomedical applications including cancer therapy, nanomedicine, cellular imaging and drug delivery. He conducted his research under the guidance of Nayak.

Meraz, a biology major from Oklahoma City, won third place in the poster presentation for “Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Molecular Modeling of Imidazoles to Investigate Structural Activity Relationships.” For his project, Meraz synthesized a series of imidazole compounds which have potential to act as bactericides and fungicides. He used a computer molecular modeling program to determine how the compounds might interact with enzyme proteins. Furthering this research could lead to the discovery of new, effective medications without excessive waste, professors said. He was mentored by Nalley.

Hunter’s oral presentation was titled “Unveiling Bioactive Phenolic- Identifying Key Compounds in Herbal Tea Samples.” Hunter, a chemistry major from Lawton advised by Priyasantha, analyzed 10 herbal tea samples to identify beneficial compounds called phenolic acids, using a technique called High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. These phenolic acids are known for their antioxidant properties, which can promote health and prevent disease. Understanding their presence in herbal teas could have a social impact by contributing to the development of natural, plant-based remedies for common health conditions, professors said.

Johnson’s poster presentation was titled, “Fluorescence Quenching and Photophysics of Alexa Fluoro (AF) 647 Dye by Graphene Oxide Nanoparticle in Aqueous and Confined Reverse Micelle Environment.” A chemistry major from Geronimo, Johnson investigated fluorescence quenching and photophysical dynamics of fluorescent probe AF 647 in confined reverse micelle using various spectroscopic techniques and dynamic light scattering techniques. The research findings of significant fluorescence quenching in reverse micelle, which mimics cellular environment, suggests the dye and nanoparticle pair can play a promising role in cancer therapy and photovoltaic applications, professors said. His project was overseen by Nayak.

“Crosslinking Transmembrane Helices in Subunit A and Molecular Docking of F1FO ATP Synthase,” the poster presentation by Karnes, focused on F1FO ATP Synthase, an enzyme complex found in most living organisms. This project showed preliminary results that an important gating mechanism may control a significant portion of the enzyme’s function. Since F1FO ATP Synthase is necessary for most living organisms, gaining insight into how it functions can lead future investigators to target pathogens to develop treatments, professors said. Karnes, a chemistry major from Lawton, was co-advised by Dr. Kyle Moore and Nalley.

Thorne’s oral presentation was “Discovering Bioactive Compounds in Herbal Plants: Method Development and LC-MS Troubleshooting.” Under the supervision of Priyasantha, Thorne, a chemistry major from Lawton, developed a method to analyze the chemical makeup of herbal plants using QuEChERS, which enhances the ability to identify these compounds with greater accuracy in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This advancement could have a social impact by improving the identification of beneficial compounds in plants, potentially leading to the discovery of natural remedies and new treatments that benefit public health, professors said.