Department of Medicinal Chemistry

• B.A. 1966, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• Ph.D. 1970, Stanford University
• NATO Fellow, Cambridge University, 1970-71

Research Interests - Current Projects

Chemical mechanisms of cytotoxicity.

Relatively simple organic molecules are sometimes capable of causing considerable toxicity to cells and tissues in vivo. Examples include solvents such as chloroform, bromobenzene and p-xylene, organosulfur compounds such as thioacetamide, thiobenzamide and the herbicide molinate, the analgesic drug acetaminophen, the common antioxidant BHT, and many others. The cytotoxicity of this diverse group of compounds stems from their common tendency to undergo biotransformation to chemically reactive metabolites which then covalently modify cellular proteins leading to cytotoxicity and even cell death. A major interest of our laboratory lies in the elucidation of the steps in this pathway, including identification of the reactive metabolites, the proteins they modify, the adduct structures formed, and their biochemical consequences for protein-protein interaction and signaling. Carefully designed "probe" molecules are synthesized, often with stable- or radio-isotope labeling, and their metabolism is investigated using state-of-the-art analytical methods. Adducted proteins are located on 2D gels by autoradiography and identified, along with their adducts, by modern methods of proteomic analysis based on HPLC/MS/MS. (Click here for more details and references)

COBRE Center in Protein Structure and Function.

In addition to the research activities listed above, Dr. Hanzlik is the Principal Investigator and Director of a NIH Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Protein Structure and Function. The center provides research support and mentoring to 10 junior faculty on four campuses in Kansas. The Center also hosts three service laboratories that are accessed by more than different research groups across the country. (Click here for further information)

Completed Projects (no longer active)

Drug metabolism: enzyme mechanisms and inhibition.

Protease inhibitors.