<p><a href="mailto: Awrigh33@fau.edu">Awrigh33@hboi.fau.edu</a><br />772-242-2459</p> <p>Director, Center for Marine Biomedical and Biotechnology Research<br />Research Professor</p> <h3>Education</h3> <p>1985 Postdoctoral Fellow<br />Harbor Branch Foundation, SeaPharm Project<br />Mentors: Kenneth Rinehart Jr. and Kenneth Snader</p> <p>1984 Ph.D. Organic Chemistry<br />University of California, Riverside, California<br />Advisor: Professor James J. Sims</p> <p>1981 M.Sc. Organic Chemistry<br />University of California, Riverside, California</p> <p>1979 B.S. Chemistry<br />California State University, Dominguez Hills, California</p> <h3>Research Interests</h3> <p>Our current research program focuses on the investigation of marine natural products with potential use as human therapeutic agents, as biological probes or as lead structures for medicinal chemistry. Our primary emphasis is on the discovery of compounds with anticancer properties, but we are also involved in collaborative research programs aimed at the discovery of agents useful against malaria, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Natural products are obtained from marine plants, invertebrates and microorganisms isolated from the tissues of marine invertebrates. Much of our work has focused on the investigation of deep-water organisms collected using the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles. Bioassay-directed fractionation is used to purify the bioactive materials and the structures of new compounds are determined through spectroscopic means with an emphasis on the use of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our research program has an increasing emphasis in defining the mechanism of action of the compounds using methods such as small molecule immunochemical (affinity) chromatography.</p> <h3>The Team</h3> <p>Jennifer Choate Ph.D.<br />Hilaire Kemami Wangun Ph.D.<br />Jill Roberts M.Sc.<br />Gail Samples<br />Lynn Robertson<br />Priscilla Winder</p> <p><a href="/id0901f484801d1996">Selected Publications</a></p> Harbor Branch Amy E. Wright, Ph.D. /id0901f484801e5526