• Question: What is next for your research?

    Asked by anon-199699 to Martin, Kate, Bryony, Sylvia, Sumit, Aryanne on 12 Mar 2019. This question was also asked by anon-199714, anon-199700.
    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      There are a couple of things in the planning stage… both trying to address issues related to my current research projects on physics and chemistry at ice surfaces and on orientated dipolar solids. In the first case, we want to try and tie down the mechanism of an efficient energy transport process we see at water ice surfaces. In the latter, we just want to know why the process of dipole orientation occurs in certain solids… What are the rules that guide it?

    • Photo: Kate McGonagle

      Kate McGonagle answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      We are always working on multiple molecules or “chemical series” at once. Some are more advanced than others in that they are already ticking alot of the boxes that need ticked to become a new medicine. Others are very early stage in the discovery process, what we call “hits”. So, we don’t really work in a very linear fashion and it’s hard to say what’s next! Currently we are working more on the later stage molecules to push these forward, but we might find a really interesting hit that we want to chase. The end goal is the only thing that stays constant and that’s to keep pushing to find a new molecule that treats Chagas disease!

    • Photo: Bryony Hockin

      Bryony Hockin answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      Well, I’ve already shown that I can use my special antennae molecules to absorb sunlight and give it to chemical reactions that build new molecules, sort of like sticking Lego bricks together. We’ve made some really interesting new molecules using this method and these molecules could possibly be used in medicines one day. Next I’d like to try using my antennae molecules to break molecules apart, for example breaking CO2 apart into more useful molecules. Because CO2 contains carbon and oxygen, it can be a useful starting point for making lots of common molecules.

    • Photo: Sumit Konar

      Sumit Konar answered on 12 Mar 2019:

      I want to solve few global energy problems using sunlight. We have limited natural sources (coal, oil). We should utilize sunlight to clean water, to heat our house, to run car, to cook food etc. There will be then less pollution, and our source will never die.

    • Photo: Sylvia Soldatou

      Sylvia Soldatou answered on 13 Mar 2019:

      I’m always looking for new molecules with antibiotic and anitcancer activity, so that’s on my to do list! I recently strated working with fungi which we isolated from Egyptian plants and marine organisms and they have given us good antibiotic activity. My next step is to isolate all the compounds that are responsible for the activity and find new ones!

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