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Arthur King

Mentor: Justin Wilson

Education:

Mercer University, Macon, GA: Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Bachelor of Arts in English, 2011-2015

Awards and Honors:

Graduated with Departmental Honors in Chemistry and English
Graduated Magna cum Laude
Recipient of the 2013-2014 Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry

Research Experience:

Project: biosurfactant compounds from a strain of Bacillus bacteria for use in oil spill remediation
Principle Investigator: Professor Kloepper
Mercer University, 2013-2015

Current Research Activities:

The goal of my research is to design and explore cobalt(III) complexes as agents for both the treatment and diagnosis of hypoxic tumors. This work entails the synthesis and characterization of cobalt complexes and the evaluation of their biological properties in cancer cell models. This interdisciplinary research lies at the boundary of chemistry and biology, combining organic and inorganic chemistry with cellular biology. In addition to synthetic techniques, this project integrates cell biology as required to understand the mechanism of action of these novel drug candidates. Because a key goal in this project is to target hypoxic cells, this research has motivated me to develop my understanding of both the chemical and biological consequences of low intracellular dioxygen. Over the duration of this project I will develop complexes with radioactive positron-emitting cobalt isotopes as dual diagnostic and therapeutic agents that become selectively activated under hypoxic conditions.

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