Dr. NICHOLAS SALZAMEDA, CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

Biography


Dr. Salzameda undertook post-doctoral work at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

 

Degrees

  • Bachelor of Arts (Chemistry)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)

Research Areas

Research in the Salzameda laboratory involves the synthesis and enzymatic characterization of small molecules inhibitors targeting proteins related to human health and disease. The laboratory is specifically focused on the design and discovery of small molecule inhibitors for the botulinum neurotoxin, a toxin that causes the deadly diseases botulinum, the NS2B-NS3 protease, a viral protein required for the replication of the West Nile virus in human hosts and Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that causes Chagas disease in humans.   The laboratory conducts multistep syntheses of novel molecules via solution, solid phase and flow chemistry.   Molecules are studied for biological activity with in-house enzymatic assays using FRET technology or through active collaborations.   In addition, computational docking studies are employed to visualize binding interactions between small molecules and protein targets.

Publications

Martinez, A; Espinosa, B*; Adamek, R*; Thomas, B*; Chau, J*.; Gonzalez, E*.; Keppetipola, N.; Salzameda, N. “ Breathing new life into West Nile virus therapeutics; discovery and   study of zafirlukast as an NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitor” Eur. J. Med. Chem. 157, 1202 (2018)

Orchard, A; Maniquis, R. V.; Salzameda, N. T. “Synthesis of Methyl Cyclopentanecarboxylate: A laboratory Experience in Carbon Rearrangement” J. Chem. Ed. 93, 1460, (2016)

Burtea, A*; Salzameda, N. T. “Discovery and SAR study of a sulfonamide hydroxamic acid inhibitor for the botulinum neurotoxin serotype A light chain” MedChemComm, 5, 706, (2014)

Adamek*, R.N., Maniquis*, R.V., Khakoo, S*., Bridges, M.D., Salzameda, N. T. “A FRET-based assay for the discovery of West Nile Virus NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitors, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 23, 4848, (2013)

Huggins, M.T., Salzameda, N.T., Lightner, D.A., “Amide to carboxylic acid hydrogen bonding. The dipyrrinone receptor” Supramolecular Chemistry,23, 226, (2011)

Salzameda, N.T., Eubanks, L.M., Zakhari, J.S., Tsuchikama, K., DeNunzio, N.J., Allen, K.A., Hixon, M.S., Janda, K.D., "A cross-over inhibitor of the botulinum neurotoxin light chain B: A natural product implicating an exosite mechanism of action" Chem. Comm., 6, 1713, (2011)