Awrigh33@hboi.fau.edu
772-465-2400 ext. 459

Director, Center for Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Research
Research Professor

Education

1985 Postdoctoral Fellow
Harbor Branch Foundation, SeaPharm Project
Mentors: Kenneth Rinehart Jr. and Kenneth Snader

1984 Ph.D. Organic Chemistry
University of California, Riverside, California
Advisor: Professor James J. Sims

1981 M.Sc. Organic Chemistry
University of California, Riverside, California

1979 B.S. Chemistry
California State University, Dominguez Hills, California

Research Interests

Our current research program focuses on the investigation of marine natural products with potential use as human therapeutic agents, as biological probes or as lead structures for medicinal chemistry. Our primary emphasis is on the discovery of compounds with anticancer properties, but we are also involved in collaborative research programs aimed at the discovery of agents useful against malaria, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Natural products are obtained from marine plants, invertebrates and microorganisms isolated from the tissues of marine invertebrates. Much of our work has focused on the investigation of deep-water organisms collected using the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles. Bioassay-directed fractionation is used to purify the bioactive materials and the structures of new compounds are determined through spectroscopic means with an emphasis on the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our research program has an increasing emphasis in defining the mechanism of action of the compounds using methods such as small molecule immunochemical (affinity) chromatography.

The Team

Jennifer Choate Ph.D.
Hilaire Kemami Wangun Ph.D.
Jill Roberts M.Sc.
Gail Samples
Lynn Robertson
Priscilla Winder

Selected Publications