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Publications in VIVO
 

Melendez-Martinez, Enrique

Faculty Member

Positions

GENERAL RESEARCH INTERESTS: BioInorganic/BioOrganometallic Chemistry,

Medicinal Chemistry, Metal-Based Drugs, NMR Spectroscopy.

My research work entails the design of metal-based drugs and organometallic biosensors. New metallocene drugs for target specific tumors are developed as tools for treating hormone-dependent and independent cancers. To achieve this, steroidal hormones (estrogen, androgen and progesterone derivatives) are attached as pendant groups to the corresponding metallocenes. The mechanistic aspects of these species are studied by spectroscopic methods such as NMR, UV-Vis, Fluorescence spectroscopy, electrochemistry and Molecular Modeling techniques. Tissue culture techniques are used to determine the biological activity of the new compounds. Another area of interest is the development of electrochemical biosensors. The principal objective of this work is to develop electrochemical biosensors based on conducting polymers and nanogold electrodes for the detection of diseases and contaminants.