The Brasch Group

The Brasch Group in July 2009.

Graduate Students

Harishchandra Subedi

About me. I am from Nepal, the country of Mt. Everest - the highest peak in the world. I completed my Master’s Degree in Inorganic Chemistry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 2004. I came to Kent State University in August 2008 to join the PhD program in Chemistry. I am now working in Dr. Nicola Brasch’s lab.

Research Interests. I am interested to work with Vitamin B₁₂ derivatives and currently synthesizing some of the cobalamins and studying the vanadium binding with them.

Other Interests. Watching comedy movies, visiting new places and listening to music.

Edward Suarez-Moreira

About me. I am from Montevideo, the second most southern capital in the world in Uruguay, the smallest Spanish-speaking country in South America. I obtained my B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry at the “Universidad de la República” in 2002 where I worked as a teaching and research assistant at the Physical Biochemistry Laboratory until December of 2003. In January 2004 I joined the KSU/CCF/NEOUCOM Biomedical Sciences doctoral program under the guidance of Dr. Nicola Brasch, Dr. Donald Jacobsen and Dr. June Yun.

Research Interests. The exact biochemical mechanisms that lead to the incorporation of cobalamins into the B₁₂-dependent enzymes have not yet been elucidated. We (Jacobsen et al.) were the first to show that glutathionylcobalamin (GSCbl) is present in mammalian cells and proposed that GSCbl is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of cobalamin cofactors. Since human aortic endothelial cells have been shown to have no cystathionine β-synthase activity, they rely solely on B₁₂-dependent methionine synthase to metabolize Hcy. We have chosen this model to demonstrate the natural occurrence of GSCbl in human cells and further investigate B₁₂ intracellular metabolism. We have developed a general method for synthesizing cobalamin derivatives. We are currently studying the stability of different thiolatocobalamins to further understand the chemistry of this family of coumpounds.

Other Interests. Languages and linguistics. Politics. Theatre and films.

Publications

1. Suarez-Moreira, E.; Hannibal, L.; Smith, C. A.; Chavez, R. A.; Jacobsen, D. W. and Brasch, N. E. A Simple, Convenient Method to Synthesize Cobalamins: Synthesis of Homocysteinylcobalamin, N-Acetylcysteinylcobalamin, 2-N-acetylamino-2-carbomethoxyethanethiolatocobalamin, Sulfitocobalamin and Nitrocobalamin Dalton Trans. 2006, 5269.
2. Tarpey, M.; White, C.; Suarez-Moreira, E.; Richardson, G.; Radi, R. and Freeman, B. A. Chemiluminescent detection of oxidants in vascular tissue. Lucigenin but not coelenterazine enhances superoxide formation. Circulation Research 1999, 84(10), 1203.

Riya Mukherjee

About me. I am from Calcutta, a lively and big city in the eastern part of India. I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry from University of Calcutta. I joined the Ph.D program in Chemistry at Kent State University in 2005 and started working with Dr. Nicola Brasch. The area of my research is Bioinorganic Chemistry.

Research Interests. I have been working on a wide variety of research projects. I started working on syntheses and spectroscopy of several V(III)/carboxylate complexes in aqueous solution. After that, I worked on vanadium-vitamin B₁₂ bioconjugates and became interested in the chemistry of vitamin B₁₂ derivatives or cobalamins. Currently I am working on syntheses and characterization of a novel thiolatocobalamin which may be beneficial for the treatment of diseases related to oxidative stress.

Other Interests. Reading books, listening to music, travel.

Publications

1. Riya Mukherjee, Brenda A. Dougan, Fiona H. Fry, Scott D. Bunge, Christopher J. Ziegler, and Nicola E. Brasch; Structural and Spectroscopic Evidence for the Formation of Trinuclear and Tetranuclear Vanadium(III)/Carboxylate Complexes of Acetate and Related Derivatives in Aqueous Solution, Inorg. Chem. 2007, 46, 1575-1585.
2. Riya Mukherjee, Edward G. Donnay, Michal A. Radomski, Catherine Miller, Duane A. Redfern, Arne Gericke, Derek S. Damron and Nicola E. Brasch; Vanadium–vitamin B₁₂ bioconjugates as potential therapeutics for treating diabetes, Chem. Commun., 2008, 3783.

Undergraduate Students

Noah Plymale

About me. I am a native Kent resident and am currently pursuing a B.S. degree in Chemistry at Kent State University. I am a member of Dr. Brasch’s undergraduate research group and am involved in research on vitamin B₁₂ derivatives. I have enjoyed working in a Bioinorganic Lab and I plan on continuing my undergraduate research with Dr. Brasch.

Research and academic interests. I am currently very interested in Organic, Biological, and Bioinorganic Chemistry. My motivation for doing research is to develop an understanding for the chemistry of biological systems. I feel that Bioinorganic Chemistry is a fascinating and unique way to learn more about such biological systems.

Other Interests. In addition to Chemistry, I am very interested in Biology and Mathematics. Outside of school, I am a math tutor for the Academic Success Center and I play the trumpet in the athletic bands at Kent State. I also enjoy being with my friends, baking, and playing games of any sort.

What’s it like to work as an undergraduate student in the Brasch Group?

Past Group Member Brenda Dougan was kind enough to provide a statement about her undergraduate research experience in the Brasch Group.

I started working with Dr. Nicola Brasch at Kent State University in Ohio as part of a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program founded by the National Science Foundation (NSF REU). During this time I helped develop the synthesis and characterization of vanadium(III)/acetate complexes in aqueous solution. After the end of this program I was keen to extend my research experience, and Dr Brasch found a way to fund my work as an undergraduate researcher for a whole year through the American Chemical Association’s Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF). I developed the synthesis and characterization of many vanadium(III)/carboxylate complexes in aqueous solution and presented the results of my work at a meeting of the American Chemical Association (ACS) in San Diego, CA.

I am currently studying towards my PhD in inorganic chemistry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The research project in Dr Brasch’s group has given me a solid foundation in synthetic inorganic chemistry that has proven to be invaluable in my graduate school career. The decision to pursue a doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry was strongly influenced by my experience in Dr. Brasch’s group, and my realization of how diverse inorganic chemistry really is.

I enjoyed the great atmosphere and pleasant work environment in Dr Brasch’s Group. Her charisma, enthusiasm, and passion in hindsight make it appear like everyday in the lab was an excellent day, although I am sure there must have been some where things didn’t work out quite as well as expected! I was privileged to have such a fantastic undergraduate research experience, and would strongly encourage you to consider working in Dr Brasch’s group if you are aiming for a career in chemistry.