Chemistry Faculty:
J. Phillip Bowen, Ph.D.
Professor
Phone: 706-542-2054
E-mail: bowen@ccmsd.chem.uga.edu
Biographical Information
B.S., Piedmont College, 1979
Ph.D., Emory University, 1984
Research Interests
The interrelationship between molecular structure and biological function is interesting. The ability to use computer-based methods to predict biological and physical properties prior to laboratory preparation is very important, particularly in the arena of drug design. One of the unifying features of our research is the desire to combine organic synthesis, conformational studies, and computational chemistry with the ultimate goal of designing potential pharmaceutical agents.
The fusion of multidisciplinary methods has the potential to enhance our understanding of chemical forces at the molecular level and help with the "rational" design of new biologically active agents. Consequently, my research interests span the fields of organic, medicinal, and computational chemistry and may be divided into three broad areas: (1) theoretical pursuits (quantum and molecular mechanics), (2) applications of molecular graphics to the design of new pharmaceutical and agricultural agents, and (3) synthesis of biologically active compounds. Presently, we are focused on the design and preparation of novel antitumor agents as well as potential dopaminergic agonists and antagonists. Also, ongoing collaborative studies with Research Triangle Institute (Dr. Anita Lewin) on the conformational preferences of protonated polyamines and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists are being pursued.
Publications
"Ab Initio Calculations and Molecular Mechanics (MM3) Force Field Development for Ammonium and Protonated Aliphatic Amines." G. Liang, X. Chen, J. A. Dustman, A. H. Lewin, and J. P. Bowen J. Comput. Chem. 1997, 18, 1371-1391.
"Hartree-Fock and Mller-Plesset (MP2) Treatment of Oxygen-Containing Phosphorous Compounds." E. L. Stewart, N. Nevins, N. L. Allinger, and J. P. Bowen J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 5198-5207
"Comparative Molecular Field Analysis and Molecular Modeling Studies of 20-(s)-Camptothecin Analogs as Inhibitors of DNA Topoisomerase I and Anticancer/Antitumor Agents." S. W. Carrigan, P. C. Fox, M. E. Wall, M. C. Wani, and J. P. Bowen J. Comput. Aided Mol. Design 1997, 11, 71-78.
"Xylanase Homology Modeling Using an Inverse Folding Approach." X. Chen, D. R. Whitmire, and J. P. Bowen Protein Science 1996, 5, 705-708.