Mass spectrometry analysis in the elucidation of molecular targets of anticancer compounds

Abstract

The aim of this proposal is a visiting professor fellowship to Prof. Leticia Lotufo to join Prof. Norberto Peporine Lopes' research group for 12 months at the School of pharmacy, University of São Paulo in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. Prof. Lotufo's main expertise includes a combination of natural product discovery with molecular and cellular biology to identify new anticancer leads. Her experimental approach includes confocal imaging, flow cytometry, western blotting and cell transection techniques. The main focus of this project is to establish new techniques using mass spectrometry to conduct some target-oriented drug discovery using immunoaffinity fluorescent labeled analogs of the natural products and affinity reverse chromatography targeting Nrf2-Keap1-ARE pathway proteins. The research plan includes also the collaboration in the supervision of two PhD students and teaching the course "Advances in the chemistry of Organic Compounds" to the students of the graduation program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (grade 7 in CAPES). Prof. Lotufo has a strong collaboration background with several research groups in São Paulo, and her presence as visiting professor will strengthen this collaboration, improving the research impact and output. (AU)