Chemistry major Marco Allodi '08 (Oriskany, NY) is busy this summer, multi-employed in the lab of George Shields, the Winslow Professor of Chemistry. Allodi is working on two very different projects. The first deals with atmospheric reaction kinetics and pre-reactive complexes while the other is an attempt to model ene-diyene anti-cancer drugs.
The atmospheric reaction kinetics research is based around radical reactions in the atmosphere. A radical is an unimpaired electron and undergoes a certain kind of reaction with compounds prevalent in the atmosphere such as methane or isoprene. Other research shows that these reactions involve what is termed a pre-reactive complex. Shields and Allodi are skeptical of this theory and are spending the summer proving it for themselves or, if necessary, disproving it. They are using the computational modeling software Gaussian to compare the energies of these radical species and following the thermodynamic pathways of the reaction.
Allodi's second area of study is esperamicin-A1, a natural product isolated from bacteria. The esperamicin is a toxin; it breaks apart DNA and kills a cell. "If we can understand how it does that," Allodi explains, "we can customize it to target cancer DNA." Using the computer program AMBER, Allodi is running molecular dynamic simulations to visualize how the esperamicin-A1 molecule interacts with the DNA.
Allodi is already familiar with the lab; he spent last summer working with Professor Shields on research related to the atmospheric reaction kinetics. The interest in pre-reactive complexes was an off-shoot of last year's work which Allodi returned to continue. He feels, however, that it will be done by the end of the summer.
The second project offers a larger time-commitment. Allodi had requested it as a challenge for himself; "I wanted something bigger, something biologically-based." He says that it is difficult in part because he needs to understand the extant work. The computer program he uses is also somewhat difficult to set up because esperamicin is not usually modeled in AMBER. Allodi hopes, however, to return next summer, perhaps to continue his work with esperamicin.
When not in the lab Allodi, a TKE brother, does Tai Kwon Do, sings in the choir, and is active in community service. His long-term plans include graduate school and a Ph.D. in chemistry.
- Lisbeth Redfield
