Richard Leo Wood, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Hammond, In, Us

Chicago Heights, Il

Valparaiso, In

Courses Taught:CHEM 101 Introductory ChemistrySCIN 101 Alternative EnergySCIN 111 Physical ScienceDocking small molecules to the dopamine D2 receptor (Parkinson's research) and to GPR55 (epilepsy research).

Munster, In

Courses taught:Chemistry IHonors Chemistry

Teaching CHEM 344 Organic Chemistry 2 Laboratory

Hammond, In

Docking, geometry optimization, writing.

Hammond, In

Courses Taught:CHEM100 Preparatory ChemistryCHEM115 General Chemistry 1CHEM116 General Chemistry 2CHEM373 Physical Chemistry1Presented a poster entitled, "Preliminary Studies of Cannabidiol Analogues Docked to a Homology Model of The Cannabinoid Receptor CB1" at the recent Faculty Research Day at Purdue University Calumet.Currently working on docking small druglike compounds to GPR55.

Hammond, Indiana

Teaching General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Cheminformatics.

Hastings, Mn

Using computational techniques to study the deamination reaction of cytosine as catalyzed by the apobec3g enzyme.Using molecular dynamics simulations and other calculational tools (small molecule property estimation: solubility, dipole moments, log P etc.) to understand the interactions between small molecules and phospholipid (POPC and DMPC) bilayers, i.e. cell membranes.

Computer-aided drug design of dopamine D2 receptor modulators, using molecular modeling, bio- and cheminformatics, as well as techniques such as QSAR/QSPR, pharmacophore modeling, and database searching to identify potential new hits. Method validation using quantum mechanical geometry optimizations (CCSD(T), HF, DFT etc.) as benchmarks.Docking and scoring of potential anti-cancer agents to Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90); the docking results were used to further design molecules which had improved docking scores.Constrained docking of small molecules to the aromatase enzyme, in a method to better understand its role in steroid synthesis and breast cancer.Selected Publications/Presentations/Provisional Patent applicationsEvaluation of density functional theory, semiempirical molecular orbital (SEMO) theory and molecular mechanics methods for prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) analogues targeting the dopamine D2 receptor, R.L. Wood, B. Young-Dixon, R. Johnson; and E.A. Amin, American Chemical Society's 235th National Meeting in New Orleans, LA, April 2008.Modeling of prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) analogs that modulate the dopamine D2 receptor: method evaluation, pharmacophore mapping/database searching and 3D-QSAR, R.L Wood, R.L. Johnson and E.A. Amin, Abstracts of Papers, 238th ACS National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 16-20, 2009 COMP-288.Evaluation of density functionals, SCC-DFTB, neglect of diatomic differential overlap (NDDO) models and molecular mechanics methods for prolyl-leucyl-glycinamide (PLG) and structural analogsJournal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM, Volume 944, Issues 1-3, 30 March 2010, Pages 76-82 (doi:10.1016/j.theochem.2009.12.026 )"SMALL MOLECULES USED IN TREATING NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS"-patent pending.

Monitored Eastern Bluebird nest boxes

Calculation of free energies of binding of carbohydrates to proteins.Use of molecular dynamics simulations in the study of the mechanism of the action of proteins on carbohydrates. Use of principal component analysis (PCA) to simplify and reduce the amount of data, and to determine those residues necessary for the binding and recognition of carbohydrates to proteins.

Design of potential anticancer and antibiotic drugs and the writing of grant proposals to fund such projects.Presentations:Conformational Analysis of Hexapeptides with High Affinity Binding to ORL1 Receptor, R. L. Wood, D. J. Tuttle, R. W. Jones and A. K. Judd, at the Joint 59th Northwest and 18th Rocky Mountain American Chemical Society Regional Meeting in Logan, UT, June 2004.

Quantum mechanical geometry optimizations of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) as a function of chain length and base type (purine, pyrimidine or both).

Use of molecular dynamics simulations to understand the role of the linker peptide of the endoglucanase CBHI during the process of the hydrolysis of cellulose by CBHI.Presentations:Molecular Modeling of Cellulose Hydrolysis, T. Rignall, C. McCabe, C. Skopec, R. L. Wood, J. W. Brady, and M. E. Himmel, at the Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, Keystone Resort, Keystone, CO, July 2003.Molecular Modeling of the T. reesei CBH I linker, T. Rignall, C. McCabe, R. L. Wood, J. W. Brady, and M. E. Himmel, at the 25th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Breckenridge, CO, May 2003.

Molecular dynamics simulations of monolayers of saturated and unsaturated phospholipids, as well as analysis of the trajectories.Presentations:Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Structural and Dynamic Effects of Double Bonds in Dimyristoyl Phosphatidylcholine and its Monolayers, American Chemical Society's 219th National Meeting in San Francisco, CA, March 2000.

Measurement and interpretation of the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of small chiral organic molecules in solution.

Ph.D., Computational Chemistry

Activities and Societies: Departmental safety committee Chemistry Graduate Forum, research group representative/physical chemistry.

Ms, Physical Chemistry

Thesis title: Vibrational Circular Dichroism Studies of Small Chiral Molecules Containing Intramolecular Rings Thesis advisor: Lawrence A..

Ba, Chemistry

Activities and Societies: Member, American Chemical Society Student Representative, Chemistry Dept. Curriculum Committee