Susan L. Bane, PhD, Binghamton University

The Bane laboratory is interested in a chemical biology. Some of their projects include the molecular mechanism of Taxol chemotherapy. The next generation of Taxol-like drugs will ideally retain the structural features required for potency but possess much simpler structures. Design of such compounds will rely on a detailed understanding of the molecular interactions between Taxol and microtubules.Also they are interested in site-specific fluorescent labeling of proteins. Fluorescence spectroscopy is the most common, powerful and sensitive optical technique used in chemical biology. They are trying to develop a method for fluorescently labeling proteins that is versatile yet highly specific, compatible with living systems, and capable of monitoring phenomena temporally and spatially.Lastly, the molecular mechanisms of colchicine and related drugs. Colchicine is one of the oldest drugs in the pharmacopoeia. Colchicine acts by binding to a single site on unassembled tubulin, subsequently inhibiting tubulin polymerization. A surprising number of drugs bind to the same site as colchicine, including podophyllotoxin, nocodazole, and combretastatin, and new molecules with colchicine-site activity continue to be discovered. They are attempting to formulate a unified mechanism for the association of such chemically diverse structures with a single receptor site on the protein.