Peter Krutzik began to do research as a member of the Chamberlin Group because the project was a way of incorporating his two passions of chemistry and biology. Working on this project was exciting and challenging for Peter, giving him the "confidence to pursue a future career in research." He feels that his participation in research as an undergraduate has enhanced his educational experience by allowing him to apply the knowledge he has gained through his academic career. Peter advises students considering research to ask "one simple question…How much do you really want to learn? If the answer is `everything,' undergraduate research is the place to begin."
Due to their prevalence at brain synapses and their role in eliciting excitatory responses upon binding glutamate, glutamate receptors (GluRs) have recently become the focus of much neurological research. Of particular interest is the AMPA subclass of glutamate receptors present largely in the hippocampus, the putative memory center of the human brain. It has been found that by potentiating, or up-modulating, the response of AMPA receptors, learning and memory processes can be enhanced. In this study, various analogs of an AMPA desensitization-inhibiting compound, benzothiadiazine DP-60, were synthesized in an attempt to find a better drug candidate. Of the drugs synthesized, 2-hydroxyethyl-DP-60 (18b) and 2-acetonitrile-DP-60 (16) were found to be active inhibitors of desensitization. The various synthetic routes employed also expand current understanding of the reactivity of the benzothiadiazine ring.
Peter Krutzik began his research in my laboratory working on a project designed to discover new compounds that might improve memory. For many older people, including some of us "absent minded professors," such a drug could make a significant difference in our daily lives. A key element in the search for any drug is stringing together entirely new molecules, as Peter has done on this project. A typical characteristic of this type of research, whether in an academic laboratory or at a large pharmaceutical company, is that it requires a joint effort between chemists and biologists working as a team. It is hard work, and no one knows what is just around the next corner. But that is part of the excitement, along with the possibility that something we dream up could truly improve the quality of life for many people.