Robert H. Cichewicz
Assistant Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Annex 218 405-325-6969 rhcichewicz at OU dot edu http://chem.ou.edu/Details/Robert-H.-Cichewicz.html Ph.D., Natural Products Chemistry - Michigan State University, 2002Research:
Neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases have devastating effects on patients and their families. Currently, there are no cures available for treating these ailments and new drugs are needed to help address this critical need. The Natural Products Discovery Group at The University of Oklahoma uses secondary metabolites from fungi, plants, and marine organisms to identify new bioactive compounds for treating Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. The group uses a combination of chemical, biochemical, and spectroscopic techniques to help identify and develop lead compounds that will serve as novel drug candidates. The groups is also using a unique metabolomics-based set of research tools to identify new drug targets and better understand the biochemical underpinnings of neurodegenerative diseases.
Selected Publications:
Henrikson, J. C., Hoover, A. R., Joyner, P. M., & Cichewicz, R. H. (2009) A chemical epigenetics approach for engineering the in situ biosynthesis of a cryptic natural product from Aspergillus niger. Org. & Biomol. Chem., in press.
Williams, R. B., Henrikson, J. C., Hoover, A. R., Lee, A. E., & Cichewicz, R. H. (2008) Epigenetic remodeling of the fungal secondary metabolome. Org. & Biomol. Chem., 6: 1895-1897.
Williams, R. B., Gutekunst, W. R., Joyner, P. M., Duan, W., Li, Q., Ross, C. A., Williams, T.D., & Cichewicz, R. H. (2007) Bioactivity profiling with parallel mass spectrometry reveals an assemblage of green tea metabolites affording protection against human huntingtin and a-synuclein toxicity. J. Agric. Food Chem., 55: 9450-9456
Cichewicz, R. H., Clifford, L. J., Cao, X., Lassen, P. R., Freedman, T. B., Nafie, L. A., Deschamps, J. D., Kenyon, V. A., Flanary, J. R., Holman, T. R., & Crews, P. (2005) Stereochemical determination and bioactivity assessment of S-(+)-curcuphenol dimers isolated from the marine sponge Didiscus aceratus and synthesized through laccase biocatalysis. Bioorg. Med. Chem., 13: 5600-5612.
Cichewicz, R. H., & Clifford, L. J. (2005) Chapter 8 ñ Native American Medicine. In Traditional Herbal Medicines for Modern Times: Antidiabetic Plants; Soumyanath, A., Ed. Taylor and Francis: London, pp 169-177.