Chemistry Weekly Seminar - Dr. Sabine Kuss, University of Manitoba
Dr. Sabine Kuss, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, will present a seminar at 1:30 pm (location TBA).
Topic
Quantitative Bioelectrochemistry - Innovative Approaches to Investigate Drug Resistance and Cancer Development
Drug resistance in bacteria and cancer is a growing problem that severely increases the number of deaths from bacterial infections and cancer.[1,2] According to the World Health Organization, drug resistance is present in every country, and various national and international health organizations have called for the urgent development of new treatment and diagnostic strategies.[3] Cellular resistance mechanisms are at the root of drug resistance, which include cell membrane protein modifications, intracellular drug target alterations, and the over expression of efflux pumps.[4]
This presentation outlines innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to recognize and quantify drug resistance in bacteria and cancer cells by electrochemistry. Electroanalytical techniques are cost efficient, sensitive and the transparency of a liquid sample is irrelevant, allowing direct in vitro analysis of blood, urine, and saliva samples. This presentation covers the characterization of some of the most important commercial drugs, and new investigational antibiotic hybrids by electrochemistry.[5] Building on this exploration of drug electrochemistry, the quantification of drug influx and retention in biological cells will be presented. This research forms the basis for the development of a point-of-care biosensor to identify drug resistance in patient samples. Such technology would advance clinical treatment from the current trial-and-error approach to the prescription of evidence-based personalized drug regimens.
Similar to drug resistance, cancer affects people on all continents. The initiation of cancer can be due to genetic predispositions or external factors, such as radiation exposure. This presentation will illustrate our recent progress in the development of micro-optical-ring electrodes (MOREs), bioelectrochemical sensors capable of simultaneously irradiating and monitoring the electrochemical response of living cells, to obtain information about the cellular ability to cope with oxidative stress. This research ultimately aims to pinpoint the moment of cancer initiation and to explore strategies to manipulate or even reverse cancer development and progression.
[1] J. Sun, A. R. Warden, J. Huang, W. Wang, and X. Ding, Anal. Chem., 91, 7524–7530 (2019).
[2] R. Article, J. Pathol., 205, 275–292 (2005).
[3] World Health Organization (WHO). Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance; (2015).
[4] H. Nikaido, Annu. Rev. Biochem., 78, 119–146 (2009).
[5] R. Islam, H.T. Le Luu, S. Kuss, J. Electrochem. Soc., 167, 045501 (2020).
Date: Friday, March 25, 2022
Time: 1:30 pm
Zoom link available by request to chem.dept@usask.ca