Ashis Basu

Bioorganic Chemistry

We study chemicals and drugs that exert their biological effects through DNA damage.  Some of the chemicals are environmental pollutants such as 1–nitropyrene. Certain antitumor drugs, such as mitomycin C, also damage DNA. In addition, we study ionizing radiation-induced DNA damages. DNA damages can induce mutations which, upon accumulation, may convert a normal cell into a cancer cell.  Our goal is to understand the structural and biological effects of these damages.