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SUMMARY:Mining Isoprenoid Biosynthesis for Biologically Active Compounds
LOCATION:Chemistry A101
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20191101T000000
UID:2026-04-28-05-34-53@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260428T053453
Description:About the Seminar\nThe linear intermediates in mammalian isopre
 noid biosynthesis once were viewed as serving only as precursors to choles
 terol and other steroids\, but it is now well-established that they have m
 uch more complex functions. The longer-chain compounds farnesyl diphosphat
 e and geranylgeranyl diphosphate commonly are employed in protein prenylat
 ion\, converting proteins to lipoproteins\, which is essential for proper 
 localization of important membrane-bound proteins. Smaller isoprenoids\, e
 specially isopentenyl diphosphate\, can stimulate proliferation of some ty
 pes of T cells\, and promote an immune response to bacterial infections. I
 n both arenas\, the limited metabolic stability of the diphosphates limits
  their utility as biological probes or clinical candidates\, but phosphona
 tes enjoy much greater metabolic stability. Our studies on synthesis of ph
 osphonate analogues of these important metabolites will be presented\, alo
 ng with studies of their biological activity conducted by our collaborator
 s.\nAbout the Speaker\nDavid F. Wiemer was born and raised in southeastern
  Wisconsin.   After graduation from Marquette University\, he earned his
  PhD at the University of Illinois (with Nelson Leonard) and then held an 
 NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University (with Jerry Meinwald). H
 e joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 1978\, where he currentl
 y holds an appointment as F. Wendell Miller Professor of Chemistry and Pro
 fessor of Pharmacology. His research is focused on the design and synthesi
 s of organophosphorus compounds that mimic the intermediates of isoprenoid
  biosynthesis and synthesis of biologically active natural products. Throu
 gh extensive collaboration\, he attempts to determine the biomedical poten
 tial of these substances. He is a co-founder of Terpenoid Therapeutics Inc
 .\, a biotechnology company pursuing commercialization of several of his d
 iscoveries as potential anti-cancer agents. Prof. Wiemer has co-authored o
 ver 200 publications and numerous patents\, mentored more than 50 students
  to conclusion of the PhD degree\, and received support from the National 
 Institutes of Health\, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust\, the National S
 cience Foundation\, the Children’s Tumor Foundation\, the Leukemia Socie
 ty of America\, and the Breast Cancer Research Program\, among others. He 
 was named a Collegiate Fellow in 2002\, received the Regents Award for Fac
 ulty Excellence in 2003\, and was elected as a Fellow of the American Asso
 ciation of Science in 2006. He served for many years as a tour speaker for
  the American Chemical Society\, making approximately 160 visits to local 
 sections around the country\, and was selected as an ACS fellow in 2011. H
 e also has served as interim associate dean of the Graduate College as wel
 l as chair of the Department of Chemistry. 4:00 pm
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