Seeking collaborators in Synthetic Organic Chemist...

ChemoBug · ‎07-19-2013

Hello,

I am Dr. Aaron T. Dossey, a biochemist, entomologist, entrepreneur, founder/owner of All Things Bugs and co-founder of the Invertebrate Studies Institute.

I am writing to provide a description about the types of chemistry related collaborations I am seeking for some projects. In general I am seeking collaborators who can provide expertise and work in the areas of synthetic organic chemistry, mass spectrometry and some separation science capabilities (though I have a good deal of experience in the latter myself, just no facilities or equipment at the moment). I have a good relationship with the National High Field Magnet Lab in Florida and am experienced with NMR, so I will be able to handle that aspect of the projects myself.

Below is information on the non-profit organization I recently founded in collaboration with 2 biologist faculty as well as the for-profit company that I own. Finally, there are some URL links at the bottom of this email with more details about myself, my research and my company.

If you are not interested in these projects, could you please distribute this information to your department (please include students, postdocs, staff and faculty) and ask that they contact me by email or phone (any time day or evening) if they are interested in discussing potential collaborations. I am currently in Gainesville, FL but planning to move to Athens, GA either this summer or this fall.

Organizations and Projects:

Invertebrate Studies Institute (ISI) projects:

The Invertebrate Studies Institute’s mission is to promote public awareness and appreciation of invertebrates, science and the natural world. It is focused on expanding invertebrate centered education, outreach, research and natural conservation. We incorporated a few weeks ago. The institute will include a uniquely designed a series of live invertebrate displays (invertebrate zoo) and research facility each charged with its own element of our Vision: education, outreach, research and natural conservation. More information can be found at the following URL link: https://www.facebook.com/InvertebrateStudiesInstitute/info

ISI project 1) Nematode pheromones for use as agricultural pest control agents:

Nematode pheromone chemistry is a relatively new field of study, with the first pheromones from non-parasitic species having been discovered only in the past few years. I was personally involved with some of those early projects starting in 2006 and have substantial experience in this field. I am interested in determining if these compounds (ascarosides) indeed have the ability to reduce nematode infestations in plants, particularly turf grasses and agricultural crops. For this project we need to identify a synthetic organic chemist collaborator who can synthesize test compounds to generate preliminary data on their effect on plant parasitic nematodes. With this data we would be very interested in collaborating on a grant to expand the project and develop compounds generated by the research as nematode control agents. There is a great need for such agents in agriculture as some of the more effective pesticides for nematodes are being phased out.

ISI project 2) Insects and their chemical defenses as potential sources of drugs and other useful natural products:

My long-time passion has been studying the biology and chemistry of insects. Derived from this interest some years ago I began series of small side projects and publications exploring the chemistry of insect chemical defense sprays and secretions (particularly those of tropical stick insects - see links to my CV and publications below - particularly this paper: http://www.allthingsbugs.com/NPR_2012.pdf ). Insects are the largest and most diverse group of organisms on the planet and heavily depend on chemistry for their livelihoods. Thus, I am interested in exploring these diverse creatures as a source of useful compounds such as antibiotics, drugs, and other useful substances. This project has strong potential for both basic and applied science. I have a few compounds already identified which I believe are good candidates to be synthesized and tested/used for additional publications, etc. Additionally, I plan to expand into activity guided fractionation of whole insect extracts as soon as I am able to access the necessary equipment and facilities. Of course we are very interested in submitting grant proposals on this project as soon as possible and would be very glad to discuss the potential for robust collaborations with you and/or your research team and others.

All Things Bugs (my for-profit biotech R&D company):

All Things Bugs (ATB) develops sustainable eco-friendly technologies from insects to improve food security and health. ATB seeks to capitalize on the biological and biochemical diversity in insects and related invertebrates by developing insect-derived food products and biologically active chemical compounds for use in agriculture and medicine. ATB's first project started last year and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USDA (SBIR grant) is to develop an insect-based food product to alleviate malnutrition in children from impoverished areas of the world. This is a very exciting project and so far results have been very very successful. All Things Bugs also intends to launch an insect-based protein bar product some time this year for the US market.

My research articles and other links of interest related to these projects, ISI, ATB, etc.

Invertebrate Studies Institute (ISI) (facebook page only for now, web site coming soon):

https://www.facebook.com/InvertebrateStudiesInstitute

http://www.isibugs.org (Web site CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Links about myself, my research and my company:

Here is my CV (it's not entirely up to date, but see my publications and awards for more info as well as my interests and experiences, etc.):

http://www.allthingsbugs.com/CV.pdf

One of my papers on potential of insects for drug discovery:

http://www.allthingsbugs.com/NPR_2012.pdf

Other publications:

http://www.allthingsbugs.com/Pseudomyrmex_tree_chem_2011.pdf

http://www.allthingsbugs.com/PASI_Chapter_2011.pdf

http://www.allthingsbugs.com/A_buprest_Annals_Ent_Soc_2009.pdf

http://www.allthingsbugs.com/Phy_Chem_2008.pdf

Insect chemistry press stories:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cb600387e

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i39/8439insects.html

More press on my work - this is entirely my work even though I wasn't mentioned:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i33/8533news12.html

Here is one of All Things Bugs' first projects which is currently funded by the Gates Foundation:

http://allthingsbugs.com/2012/06/23/all-things-bugs-receives-grand-challenges-explorations-grant-for...

Recent article and related content which I wrote on insects as a sustainable food source (I'll be doing a press release when the SBIR is finalized soon as well!).

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34172/title/Why-Insects-Should-Be-in-Your-Diet...

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34233/title/Bug-Buffet/

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/34185/title/Contributors/

More on my Gates grant project (insects as sustainable food source, like the The-Scientist article for February):

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120509/ARTICLES/120509543

Melinda Gates tweeting my poster at the Gates Foundation conference in March at a conference I attended at their headquarters:

https://twitter.com/melindagates/status/312299059199242242/photo/1

This is the meeting I was invited to and attended at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization in Rome back in January:

http://www.fao.org/forestry/edibleinsects/74848/en/

My company pages:

http://allthingsbugs.com/about/people/

http://www.facebook.com/Allthingsbugs