ROBERT PETTIT

Regents' Professor
Ph.D., Wayne State University, 1956

  Office: D-301  Lab: PS C-334/D-307
  Phone: (480)965-3351  Lab Phone: (480)727-2009
  Fax: (480) 965-2747
  Email: bpettit@asu.edu

Research and Teaching Interests

Significant advances in the treatment of human cancer and other serious medical problems are becoming increasingly more dependent upon scientists well trained in organic chemistry, biochemistry and biology. Our group is organized to provide the specialized training necessary to undertake problems concerned with the discovery of anticancer substances for the treatment of cancer. Among various activities, we are pursuing a unique program concerned with isolation, structural identification and synthesis of naturally occurring anticancer agents from marine animals, plants, and arthropods. Studies concerned with synthetic methods, and routes to certain important biosynthetic products comprise related areas of interest.

Specific Research Interests: Chemistry of natural products (peptides, nucleotides, and steroids), cancer chemotherapy (anticancer agents from arthropods, marine animals and plants), and total synthesis of natural products.

Publications

"E-Combretastatin and E-Resveratrol Structural Modifications: Antimicrobial and Cancer Cell Growth Inhibitory â-E-Nitrostyrenes," R. K. Pettit, G. R. Pettit, E. Hamel, F. Hogan, B. R. Moser, S. Wolf, S. Pon, J.-C. Chapuis, J. M. Schmidt, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 17 6606-6612 (2009)

"Antineoplastic Agents 579. Synthesis and Cancer cell Growth Evaluation of E-Stilstatin 3, a Resveratrol Structural Modification. ," G. R. Pettit, N. Melody, A. Thornhill, J. C. Knight, T. L. Groy, and C. L. Herald, Journal of Natural Products 72 1637-1642 (2009)

"Antineoplastic Agents. 571. Total Synthesis of Bacillistatin 2.," G. R. Pettit, S. Hu, J. C. Knight, and J. C. Chapuis, Journal of Natural Products 72 372-379 (2009)

"Antineoplastic agents. 575. The fungus Aspergillus phoenicis.," G. R. Pettit, J. Du, R. K. Pettit, J. C. Knight, D. L. Doubek, Heterocycles 79 909-916 (2009)

"Intracellular Activation and Deactivation of Tasidotin, an Analog of Dolastatin 15: Correlation with Cytotoxicity," R. Bai, M. C. Edler, P. L. Bonate, T. D. Copeland, G. R. Pettit, R. F. Ludueña, and E. Hamel, Molecular Pharmacology 75 218-226 (2009)