Enrique Meléndez
Enrique Meléndez Martínez, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Division, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez
Director of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, University of Puerto Rico
GENERAL RESEARCH INTERESTS: BioInorganic/BioOrganometallic Chemistry,
Medicinal Chemistry, Metal-Based Drugs, NMR Spectroscopy, Biosensors
My research work entails the design of metal-based drugs and biosensors. On the first project, new metallocene drugs for target specific tumors are developed as tools for treating hormone dependent cancers such as breast, ovarian and prostate. To achieve this, steroidal hormones (estrogen, androgen, and progesterone derivatives) are attached as pendant (functional) groups to the corresponding metallocenes aimed at being recognized by the hormone receptors. The new species are characterized by IR, Raman, NMR spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanistic aspects of these species are studied by spectroscopic methods such as NMR, UV-Vis, Fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman, and Molecular Modeling techniques.
The second project involves the development of electrochemical biosensors. The principal objective of this work is to develop an electrochemical biosensor based on gold nanostructure electrode functionalized with aptamers to detect substrate such as glucose, metal ions, food and soil contaminants. The characterization of the surface of these electrodes is performed Atomic Force Microscopy, STEM, Raman, electrochemistry, and Confocal Microscopy. The third project involves the design of Gold Nanoparticles (Au-NPs) with applications in photothermal therapy as potential drugs in cancer research. Gold Nanoparticles of different shapes are conjugated to molecules that can recognize cancer cells and potentiate the intrinsic anti-cancer activity of Au-NPs.
SERVICE IN NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC REVIEW PANELS:
National Science Foundation 1996, 2001, 2008
Israel National Science Foundation 2010, 2018, 2023
Italian Higher Council for Science 2011
Industry-University (INDUNIV) Research Center 1992-97.
American Chemical Society, Puerto Rico Section, 2001-2003, 2010.
Chez Science Foundation 2012-Present
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, División de Ciencias y Tecnología 2014-Present
University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, Graduate School 2010-Present
Abstracts this author is presenting: