Project description
A new chemical diagnostic approach
The formation of 3-nitrotyrosine (3NT) is the result of tyrosine oxidation in proteins. In vivo, it serves as an indicator of oxidative damage and is encountered in diverse pathological conditions including Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and stroke. However, existing chemical strategies for detecting the presence of 3NT are limited by harsh chemical conditions and poor site selectivity. To address this, the EU-funded PhotoChemBio project proposes to use visible light to drive photoredox catalysis in order to identify this important residue within the proteome. The generated platform will facilitate disease diagnosis at an early stage as well as the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Objective
Photoredox catalysis (the use of visible-light to accelerate chemical reactions) has emerged as a uniquely valuable platform in organic chemistry, facilitating the use of native functionality to construct new C–C bonds. The key aim of this research is the unification of photoredox catalysis and bioconjugation to specifically target 3-nitrotyrosine (3NT) – a critical biomarker for the diagnosis of several diseases including Alzheimer's, heart disease, and stroke, in order to facilitate the rapid identification and mapping of this important residue within the proteome. Current chemical strategies to functionalize 3NT residues are hampered by harsh chemical conditions and poor site-selectivity; therefore, the development of a novel platform based upon the use of visible-light will have far-reaching implications in terms of identifying early-stages of disease and the development of new therapeutic strategies.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-GF - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
CB2 1TN Cambridge
United Kingdom