Blanaid White

Biography

Fiona Regan is Professor in Chemistry at Dublin City University and Director of the DCU Water Institute. Fiona studied Environmental Science and Technology and later completed a PhD in analytical chemisty in 1994. Following postdoctoral research in optical sensing in DCU, in 1996 she took up a lecturing position at Limerick Institute of Technology. In 2002 Fiona joined the School of Chemical Sciences as a lecturer in analytical chemistry, in 2008 she became senior lecturer and in 2009 became the Beaufort Principal Investigator in Marine and Environmental Sensing.

Fiona’s research focuses on environmental monitoring and she has special interest in priority and emerging contaminants as well as the establishment of decision support tools for environmental monitoring using novel technologies and data management tools. Her work includes the areas of separations and sensors (including microfluidics), materials for sensing and antifouling applications on aquatic deployed systems.

Research Expertise

PhD Students

Select Publications

Direct electrochemiluminescence detection of oxidized DNA in ultrathin films containing [Os (bpy) 2 (PVP) 10] 2+
  Lynn Dennany, Robert J Forster, Blanaid White, Malcolm Smyth, James F Rusling      2004      Journal of the American Chemical Society
Direct electrochemiluminescence (ECL) involving oxidized DNA was demonstrated in ultrathin films of cationic polymer [Os(bpy)2(PVP)10]2+ [PVP = poly(vinyl pyridine)] assembled layer-by-layer with DNA or oligonucleotides. Electrochemically oxidized OsIIsites generated ECL from films containing oxo-guanines on DNA formed by chemical oxidation using Fenton reagent. Films combining DNA, [Ru(bpy)2(PVP)10]2+, and [Os(bpy)2(PVP)10]2+ had OsII sites that produced ECL specific for oxidized DNA, and RuII sites gave ECL from reaction with oxo-adenines, chemically damaged DNA, and possibly from cleaved DNA strands.

 

Oscillating formation of 8-oxoguanine during DNA oxidation
  Blánaid White, Malcolm R Smyth, James D Stuart, James F Rusling      2003      Journal of the American Chemical Society
Oxidation of free guanine and guanine in salmon testes ds-DNA by hydroxyl radicals generated with Fenton reagent resulted in oscillating 8-oxoguanine concentrations. These oscillations were superimposed on a general trend of decreasing ratio of [8-oxoguanine]/{[8-oxoguanine] + [guanine]} with time, suggesting that a steady state 8-oxoguanine concentration would not be achieved. Mass spectrometry detected 8-oxoguanine and 5-guanidinohydantoin as products, suggesting that the latter was the product of oxidation of 8-oxoguanine. Guanidinohydantoin and other possible intermediates and products may be involved in a complex mechanism leading to the observed behavior. Oscillatory fluctuations in 8-oxoguanine may need to be considered in assessing its clinical significance as a biomarker for oxidative DNA damage.

 

Structure–Activity Relationship and Mode of Action of N-(6-Ferrocenyl-2-naphthoyl) Dipeptide Ethyl Esters: Novel Organometallic Anticancer Compounds
  Áine Mooney, Rachel Tiedt, Thamir Maghoub, Norma O’Donovan, John Crown, Blánaid White, Peter TM Kenny      2012      Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

In this article, we report the findings of a comprehensive structure–activity relationship study of N-(6-ferrocenyl-2-naphthoyl) dipeptide ethyl esters, in which novel analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated in vitro for antiproliferative effect. Two new compounds, 2 and 16, showed potent nanomolar activity in the H1299 NSCLC cell line, with exceptional IC50 values of 0.13 and 0.14 μM, respectively. These compounds were also found to have significant activity in the Sk-Mel-28 malignant melanoma cell line (IC50 values of 1.10 and 1.06 μM, respectively). Studies were also conducted to elucidate the mode of action of these novel organometallic anticancer compounds. Cell cycle analysis in the H1299 cell line suggests these compounds induce apoptosis, while guanine oxidation studies confirm that 2 is capable of generating oxidative damage via a ROS-mediated mechanism.

 

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