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Dr. Ronald Utecht, Professor
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Phone: (605) 688-4267
Fax: (605) 688-6364
E mail Dr. Ronald Utecht
External Funding
MicroBioMed Corporation
I have two areas of research interest: the application of photochemically reactive molecules to biolog-ical systems and the mechanism of electron transfer in metalloproteins.
The potential for a photochemically reactive molecule in a biological system is enormous. The nature of these compounds allows a relatively stable molecule to be positioned in a biological system by either localization based on the structure of the molecule or mechanically by surgical methods. After proper positioning, a reactive species is generated by irradiation with visible light. My research group has pioneered the photochemical applications of the 4-amino naphthalimides. Our most successful molecule shows great promise in the area of tissue repair. The rights to the orthopedic applications of these compounds has recently been licensed to the Tissue Repair Division of Genzyme Corporation. Using this technology, repairs can be made to the miniscule cartilage after knee injuries without the need to resort to marginally effective measures such as sutures. Photochemical weld strengths in tissues of up to several kilograms per square centimeter have been obtained. These compounds are also being applied to cardiovascular repair and the generation of endogenous stents. As the chemical bonds formed by these compounds are stable, biocompatible, and provide a scaffold for cellular growth, they provide an attractive alternative to conventional arterial repair techniques.
Our work with the 4-amino naphthalimides is a multidisciplinary endeavor on the synthesis, purifica-tion and mechanistic studies of the target compounds. This multidisciplinary approach allows collabo-rations between my students and researchers actively involved in developing medical applications in both and academic and industrial environments.
My second area of interest is in the area of electron transport in metalloproteins. We have developed several molecular tags which have fluorescent properties sensitive to their local environment. We have used these molecules to tag cytochrome c. Upon oxidation or reduction of the protein, we can monitor the conformational changes of the protein allowing us to study conformational changes associated with these reactions.
Publications
Lewis, D.E.; Utecht, R.E.; Judy, M.M.; Matthews, J.L., Non-azo Naphthalimides and Uses for Same, Patent Number 5,917,045, June 29, 1999.
Chang, S.C.; Utecht, R.E.; Lewis, D.E., 1999, Synthesis and bromination of 4-alkylamino-N-alkyl 1,8- naphthalimides, Dyes Pigm. 43, 83-94.
Lewis, D.E.; Utecht, R.E.; Matthews, M.M. Judy, and J.L., Fluorescent Naphthalimide Dyes and Their Use as Fluid Visualizing Agents, Patent Number 5,831,752, July 23, 1998.
Mitchell, K.A.; Brown, R.G.; Yuan, D.; Chang, S.C.; Utecht, R.E.; Lewis, D.E., 1998, A fluorescent sensor for Cu 2+ at the sub-ppm level, J. Photochem. Photobiol., A, 115, 157-161.
Judy, M.M.; Jackson, R.W.; Nosir, H.R.; Matthews, J.L.; Loyd, J.D.; Lewis, D.E.; Utecht, R.E.; Yuan, D., 1997, Healing results in meniscus and articular cartilage photochemically welded with 1,8 naphthal-imide dyes, Proc. SPIE-Int. Soc. Opt. Eng., 2970(Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems VII), 257-260. |
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