Thaisha Wright presented her work at the MSM Research Core Day.
Abstract: Cancer-related fatalities are the second leading cause of death in the USA, understanding the activity of effective chemotherapeutic agents is critical to addressing prostate and other cancers. Some cancer treatment agents are not as effective or have toxicities that limit their use. Our research group focuses on designing molecules that can possibly improve chemotherapeutic outcomes for individuals with cancers associated with hormone reproductive systems. Sulfonamides have been shown to possess substantial antitumor activity in vitro and/or in vivo. Therefore, the goal of this project is to synthesize a novel sulfonamide that could be used for this purpose and ultimately improve treatment for various cancers. The synthesis of the molecule involved traditional and microwave heating techniques. The intermediate and final molecules were isolated using liquid-liquid extractions, celite filtration, and flash column chromatography. The final molecule was obtained in modest yield and was characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Infrared Spectroscopy. The effectiveness of the molecules have been proven in prostate cell lines.