Prof Janice Aldrich-Wright

• Qualifications
  
• Biography
  
• Research
  
• Selected Publications
  
• Grants/Current projects
  
• Teaching Interests
  
• Awards/Honours
  
• Professional Activities

Qualifications

B.App.Sc.(Hons); PhD

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Biography

Professor Janice Aldrich-Wright is a Royal Australian Chemical Institute Fellow and her research has been the subject of patent applications and productive publications. Her Campbelltown-based laboratory focuses on the metal complex-DNA interactions. Over the past 20 years Janice has established a research group at UWS that is actively involved in collaborative research with both local and international researchers. The basis of this work has been the establishment of anticancer compounds which operate under a mode of action different to current clinical alternatives. Innovative bioinorganic molecular design, elegant synthesis and the determining of the biophysical and biological characteristics of these compounds are the foci of Professor Aldrich-Wright's research.

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Research

Janice's research objective has been to significantly extend her understanding of the principles involved in sequence-specific recognition of biological molecules like DNA by carrying out investigations of the binding of metal complexes. The result of this work has far-reaching consequences on the rational design of DNA-based chemotherapeutic agents, effective DNA probes and DNA-sequencing agents. To achieve these objectives Janice has designed, synthesised, resolved and characterised novel metal complexes to understand how DNA discriminates between these simple molecules by determining their binding affinity and biological activity.

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Selected Publications

Collins, J.G., Aldrich-Wright, J.R., Greguric, I.D., and Pellegrini, P.A. (1999). Binding of the ?- and? ?- Enantiomers of [Ru(dmphen)2DPQ]2+ to the Hexanucleotide d(GTCGAC)2. Inorganic Chemistry, 38, 5502-5509. (IF: 3.851;  citations - 149).

Greguric, I., Aldrich-Wright, J.R., and Collins, J.G. (1997). A 1H NMR Study of the Binding of ?-[Ru(phen)2DPQ]2+ to the Hexanucleotide d(GTCGAC)2-Evidence for Intercalation From the Minor Groove. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 119, 3621-3622. (IF: 7.419;  citations - 64).

Rutherford, T.J., Pellegrini, P.A., Aldrich-Wright, J.R., Junk, P.C., and Keene, F.R. (1998). Isolation of Enantiomers of a Range of Tris(bidentate)ruthenium(II) Species Using Chromatographic Resolution and Stereoretentive Synthetic Methods, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry , 1677-1688. (IF: 2.514 citations - 61).

Greguric, A., Greguric, I.D., Hambley, T.W., Aldrich-Wright, J.R., and Collins, J.G. (2002). Minor groove intercalation of ?-[Ru(Me2phen)2dppz]2+ to the hexanucleotide d(GTCGAC)2. Dalton Transactions, 849-855. (IF: 3.003; citations - 35).

Aldrich-Wright, J.R., Vagg, R.S., and Williams, P.A. (1997). N4-Tetradentate Ligand Design. Coordination Chemical Reviews 166, 361-389. (IF: 9.779;  citations - 31).

Hannon, M.J., Meistermann, I., Isaac, C.J., Blomme, C., Aldrich-Wright, J.R., and Rodger, A. (2001). Paper: A Cheap Yet Effective Chiral Stationary Phase for Chromatographic Resolution of Metallo-Supramolecular Helicates. Chemical Communications, 1078-1079. (IF: 4.426;  citations - 25).

Collins, J.G., Rixon, R.M., and Aldrich-Wright, J.R., (2000). Interaction of [Pt(en)(phen)]2+ and [Pt(en)(phi)]2+ with the Hexanucleotide d(GTCGAC)2: Evidence for Minor Groove Binding. Inorganic Chemistry, 39, 4377-4378. (IF: 3.851;  citations - 25).

Aldrich-Wright, J.R., Greguric, I., Vagg, R.S., Vickery, K., and Williams, P.A. (1995). The Development of DNA-Immobilised Chromatographic Stationary Phases for Optical Resolution and DNA-affinity Comparison of Metal Complexes, Journal of Chromatography. A., 718, 436-443. (IF: 3.641;  citations - 25).

Pellegrini, P.A., and Aldrich-Wright, J.R. (2003). Evidence for chiral discrimination of Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes by DNA. Dalton Transactions, 176-183. (IF: 3.003; citations - 23).

Beck, J.L., Gupta, R., Urathamakul, T., Williamson, N., Sheil, M.M., Aldrich-Wright, J.R., and Ralph, S.F. (2003). Probing DNA selectivity of ruthenium metallointercalators using ESI mass spectrometry. Chem. Comm., 626-627. (IF: 4.426; citations - 15).

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Grants/Current Projects

Developing comprehensive methods for biomolecular analysis using Nuclear Magnetic Resonnance (NMR), Circular Dichroism (CD) and Linear Dichroism (LD) to understand the mechanisms of intermolecular interactions.

Investigations into metallodrugs mechanisms of action.

Are linked bisintercalating platinum(Ii) compounds effective as anticancer agents?

Metallointercalators as anticancer and antibacterial agents.

Designing effective metallodrugs.

CD DNA binding of platinum(Ii) intercalating compounds.

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Teaching Interests

Janice is currently the primary supervisor or co-supervisor for 9 PhD and 1 MSc students. I have supervised 9 PhD, 2 MSc and 23 Honours students to successful completion, with six students receiving the University medal for their Honours.

Janice coordinates the first year chemistry unit, Principles of Chemistry, which is the foundation for the assumed knowledge for other disciplines such as Biochemistry, Microbiology, etc.

Janice also coordinates the final year unit, Pharmacological Chemistry, which is aimed at undergraduates with Chemistry and Biochemistry background and who have an interest in a career related to medicinal chemistry.

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Awards/Honours

• Vice Chancellors Award (2009)
• Awarded the 1994 Cornforth Medal of the Royal Australian Chemical Society for the PhD thesis entitled “Processes in Some Metal Chelate Systems of Biological Interest”. [
• Awarded the 1995 Early Career Research Award, for UWS Macarthur. 
• Awarded the Royal Australian Chemical Society Best Poster Award, at the IC'1995, National Conference of Medicinal and Agricultural Division, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), Adelaide, (SA), July 1995 for the Poster entitled “The Design of Structural Probes for DNA, bases on Phenanthroline, N-2-bidentates, of Metal Complexes”, J.R. Aldrich-Wright, I. Greguric. Abstract P30

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Professional Activities

• NSW delegate for the National Inorganic, a Division of RACI (1997)
• Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute
• Professor in Chemistry, The University of Western Sydney

Patents

Fenton, R.R., and Aldrich-Wright, J.R. (2002). Metal Complexes and Therapeutic uses thereof, International Patent, Application Number PCT/AU02/00167.
Aldrich-Wright, J.R., Jaramillo, D., Brodie, C., Howard, W., and Taleb, R. (2004). Sequence Selective Compounds, International Patent, PCT/AU2004/001368.

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