Contributions to Science
"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."
PREBACCALAUREATE RESEARCH
I studied how the chemical element, molybdenum (Mo), binds to organic compounds (amino acids).
The first opportunity I had to conduct research was through a summer program, the Quality Education for Minorities Network/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) SHARP Plus Program, at Norfolk State University. Through this science and engineering apprenticeship program, I conducted research in the Department of Chemistry. My scientific study was concentrated in the physical sciences. It centered on investigating the bonding structure between molybdenum in oxidation state six and amino acid type ligands. Many enzymes that interact with molybdenum play several important roles in animal metabolism. Such molybdo-enzymes are xanthine oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase, which both catalyze the oxidation of xanthine to uric acid, a key step in purine metabolism. The importance of investigating molybdenum was due to its relation to the disease, gout, which has a hallmark characteristic of excessive production of uric acid.
Concerning the production of gout in humans, the research that I conducted aimed to provide new ways of finding how molybdenum’s involvement in the development of gout could prevent the disease from spreading. Thus, in this investigation, I identified the molybdenum-oxygen core in several new amino acid type complexes. By obtaining the bonding structure between molybdenum (VI) and several ligands, such as ethylenediamine diacetic acid (EDDA), I was able to determine whether the ligand was bound to the Mo(VI)-L complex. I accomplished this by taking the spectra of Mo(VI) and Mo(VI)-L complexes and determining whether the amino acid type ligands had definite positions of bonding observed from the infrared spectrum.
PREBACCALAUREATE RESEARCH
I studied how herbal supplements, saw palmetto and licorice root, can potentially be used as a treatment for prostate cancer.
As an undergraduate, another opportunity to quench my passion for science occurred at Xavier University of Louisiana. Through an undergraduate research course, I conducted research in the area of biochemistry. The research focused on prostate cancer, a slow-growing heterogeneous tumor primarily of prostate epithelium cell origin. This investigation was important due to the impact prostate cancer has had on the male population over the age of 50 in the United States. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer, other than skin cancer, among men in the United States and is the second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer-related death among men. It can progress from a benign hormone-sensitive to a malignant hormone-insensitive phenotype. This research project was also essential since many treatment options have several disadvantages. Consequently, alternative treatment strategies that are more effective and comfortable are in great demand (i.e., use of herbal supplements).
The objectives of the research were as follows: (1) to test the effects of over-the-counter supplements on prostate carcinoma cell lines, DU145, and (2) to evaluate the expression of specific proteins in treated and untreated DU145 cells. The scientific investigation I conducted attempted to provide a qualitative analysis of protein expression in DU145 cells and identify specific proteins via protein extraction and western blot analysis. The DU145 cells were pretreated with varying concentrations of herbal supplements, saw palmetto and licorice root, in cell culture. This enabled me to determine whether herbal supplements could inhibit cellular proliferation in a dose dependent manner.