Heidi Vollmer-Snarr
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Office: 406 BNSN
Office Phone: 422-2137
Email: hrvs@chem.byu.edu
Education
BA, University of Utah (1997)
BS, Universty of Utah (1997)
DPhil, Oxford University (2000)
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (2001)
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University (2001-2002)
Research Interests
I am interested in biological applications of organic synthesis and bioorganic chemistry related to cancer. The main cancer‑related work in my laboratory is in the development of targeted and triggered drug delivery therapies using retinoid compounds. The targeting agent that we are using is folic acid. Folic acid is upregulated in kidney, breast, lung and other cancer cells and is thus act to selectively deliver our synthetic chemotherapeutic amino‑retinoid compounds to cancer cells. The trigger in our experiments is light. The amino‑retinoid compounds that we are making are not cytotoxic in their unoxidized form, but after photo‑oxidation, which is triggered by light, they form cytotoxic oxidation products. We have made and are in the process of making amino‑retinoid compounds from the reaction of biogenic amines with retinaldehyde. Some of the amines used in our reactions are spermidine, spermine, putrescine, cadaverine, serotonin, tryptamine, norepinephrine, dopamine and tyramine. The resulting retinoid adducts are treated with folic acid to make their folate‑bioconjugates. Amino‑retinoid compounds are also chemically and photochemically oxidized. The aim is to form a library of structurally interesting folate amino‑retinoid compounds that may serve as substrates for use in targeted and triggered drug delivery therapies. Some of the compounds that have been synthesized and have undergone cellular testing in our laboratories are A2E (ethanolamine + retinaldehyde), A2N (norepinephrine + retinaldehyde) and A2D (dopamine + retinaldehyde). We are testing unoxidized retinoid compounds, as well as their oxidized derivatives, on the HeLa (cervical cancer), HL‑60 (leukamia) and kidney cancer cell lines. Compounds with little cytotoxicity in the unoxidized form and increased cytotoxicity after oxidation will continue to be developed for applications in targeted and triggered drug delivery therapies. Students are involved at all levels in this research from literature searches on scientific databases, to chemical synthesis of retinoid compounds, to the testing of these compounds on cancer cell lines.
Student Involvement/ Requirements
Currently I have 1 postdoctoral research fellow, 2 graduate students and 6 undergraduates in my laboratory. These researchers and myself are involved in the training of new researchers in the laboratory. Generally I require Chem 351, 352, and either 353 or 354 as pre‑requisites for joining the laboratory. The work is publication oriented and undergraduates do appear on publications. The research is currently funded by the National Kidney Foundation of Utah, university mentoring grants and college and departmental research stipends. A minimal commitment of 10 hours per week is required, but 20 hours is preferable.
Publications
Vollmer-Snarr, H.R., Pew, M.R., Alvarez, M.L., Cameron, D.J., Chen, Z., Walker, G.L., Price, J.L., Swallow, J.L., “Amino-Retinoid Compounds in the Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium,” in Retinal Degenerations, Hollyfield, J.G., Anderson, R.E., LaVail, M.M., Eds.; Springer: New York, NY, (2005).
Jockusch, S., Ren, R.X., Jang, Y.P., Itagaki, Y., Vollmer-Snarr, H.R., Sparrow, J.R., Nakanishi, K., Turro, N.J., “Photochemistry of A1E, a Retinoid with a Conjugated Pyridinium Moiety: Competition between Pericyclic Photooxygenation & Pericyclization,” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 126, 4646-4652 (2004).
