个人简介

Scientific Advisor for Syntrix, 2000 1999 Visiting Professor, Nagoya University, Japan. Consultant for AmeriTech, Seattle, 1996 – 1998 Consultant for Zymo Genetics, Seattle, 2/1/91 - 6/30/96 Honorary member, Phi Eta Sigma undergraduate honor society Nihon Ikuei-Kai Scholarship (graduate) Nihon Ikuei-Kai Scholarship (undergraduate)

研究领域

Bioorganic/Organic/and Biostructural Chemistry

The Sasaki group is developing novel medical and food/supplement technologies based on artemisinin, a natural product isolated from Artemisia annua L. Artemisinin is a part of the current standard treatment for malaria infection in humans. Artemisinin contains an endoperoxide group that reacts with intracellular iron to generate toxic radical species. Cancer cells undergoing rapid proliferation intake large quantities of the essential nutrient iron through up-regulation of transferrin receptor. Artemisinin has demonstrated highly selective cytotoxicity towards cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We have found that the anti-cancer activity of artemisinin can be greatly enhanced by delivering the compound directly to the cellular iron uptake machinery. Also, dimers of artemisinin have shown highly potent anticancer activities that are equivalent to that of Taxol in cell-based assays. Recently, we discovered that artemisinin derivatives induce a specific down-regulation of survivin, an anti-apoptotic protein critical to cancer cell survival. The natural product artemisinin is currently available as a supplement in the U.S. We hypothesize that artemisinin provides an effective and economical treatment for cancer in dogs and other pets. We collaborate with a group in Washington State University to perform clinical trials of artemisinin in dogs with non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). This disease in dogs is an excellent, naturally occurring model of the human disease. Survivin, which we hypothesize will decrease in response to artemisinin in vivo, is over-expressed in canine NHL. Lymphoma is one of the most common forms of cancer in dogs. Artemisinin is also effective against parasite infection in animals. For example, avian coccidiosis is considered to be one of the most economically devastating parasitic diseases in the poultry industry. Chicken feed mixed with Artemisia leaves that contain high artemisinin show an increased average body weight and egg production. New animal feeds with Artemisia leaves could make organic meat products available to consumers at a significantly lower cost. We are collaborating with groups in Washington State University and USDA-ARS/Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center to optimize the growth conditions of a high artemisinin producing cultivar in Eastern Washington, and to investigate the biological effects of Artemisia extracts.

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Halter, M., Nogata, Y., Dannenberger, O., Sasaki, T. & Vogel, V. Engineered Lipids That Cross-Link the Inner and Outer Leaflets of Lipid Bilayers. Langmuir 20, 2416-2423 (2004). Hasegawa, T. & Sasaki, T. Glyco-helix: parallel lactose-lactose interactions stabilize an a-helical structure of multi-glycosylated peptide. Chemical Communications (Cambridge, United Kingdom), 978-979 (2003). Arai, T. et al. Self-Assembling of the Porphyrin-Linked Acyclic Penta- and Heptapeptides in Aqueous Trifluoroethanol. Journal of Organic Chemistry 68, 5540-5549 (2003). Bramblett, A. L. et al. Determination of surface coverage for tetraphenylporphyrin monolayers using ultraviolet visible absorption and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. Surface and Interface Analysis 33, 506-515 (2002). Baas, T., Gamble, L., Hauch, K. D., Castner, D. G. & Sasaki, T. Characterization of a Cysteine-Containing Peptide Tether Immobilized onto a Gold Surface. Langmuir 18, 4898-4902 (2002). Nelson, K. E. et al. Surface Characterization of Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers Designed for Streptavidin Immobilization. Langmuir 17, 2807-2816 (2001). Malkowski, A. M., Sartori, T. & Sasaki, T. Modelling carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions in the glycosphingolipid signaling domain. Abstracts of Papers, 221st ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA, United States, April 1-5, 2001, CHED-618 (2001). Arai, T. et al. CD investigation of porphyrin-porphyrin interaction with links to acyclic b-sheet peptide self-assembled in an aqueous media. Chemistry Letters, 1240-1241 (2001). Maloney, K. N. & Sasaki, T. Synthesis of a multivalent carbohydrate ligand. Book of Abstracts, 219th ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 26-30, 2000, CHED-390 (2000). Boeckl, M. S., Bramblett, A. L., Ratner, B. D., Rogers, J. W., Jr. & Sasaki, T. Porphyrin selfassembly on gold for molecular design of biorecognition surfaces. Book of Abstracts, 219th ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 26-30, 2000, COLL-399 (2000). Boeckl, M. S. et al. Self-Assembly of Tetraphenylporphyrin Monolayers on Gold Substrates. Langmuir 16, 5644-5653 (2000). Sakai, S., Shigemasa, Y. & Sasaki, T. Iron(II)-assisted assembly of trivalent GalNAc clusters and their interactions with GalNAc-specific lectins. Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan 72, 1313-1319 (1999). Geier, G. R., III & Sasaki, T. Catalytic oxidation of alkenes with a surface-bound metalloporphyrinpeptide conjugate. Tetrahedron 55, 1859-1870 (1999). Tahmassebi, D. C. & Sasaki, T. Synthesis of a Three-Helix Bundle Protein by Reductive Amination. Journal of Organic Chemistry 63, 728-731 (1998). Hwang, K.-o. & Sasaki, T. Imprinting for the assembly of artificial receptors on a silica surface. Journal of Materials Chemistry 8, 2153-2156 (1998). Sakai, S., Shigemasa, Y. & Sasaki, T. A self-adjusting carbohydrate ligand for GalNAc specific lectins. Tetrahedron Letters 38, 8145-8148 (1997).