• Professor, Chemistry

Karen Wooley

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• Ph.D. in Polymer and Organic Chemistry at Cornel University

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An alternative to chemotherapy Nanoparticles tackle pediatric brain tumors July 14, 2008 -- Wooley Download An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, led by Karen L. Wooley, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, is a step closer to delivering cancer-killing drugs to pediatric brain tumors, similar to the tumor that Senator Ted Kennedy is suffering from. Such tumors are often difficult to completely remove surgically; frequently, cancerous cells remain following surgery and the tumor returns. Chemotherapy, while effective at treating tumors, often harms healthy cells as well, leading to severe side effects especially in young children that are still developing their brain functions. In an effort to solve this problem, the Wooley lab has developed polymeric nanoparticles that can entrap doxorubicin, a drug commonly used in chemotherapy, and slowly release the drug over an extended time period.

Whitesides ponders the origin of life Harvard professor George Whitesides ponders new ideas in chemistry and the origin of life Jan. 24, 2008 -- Innovative researcher George Whitesides will speak on revolutionary ideas in chemistry that may lead to a new understanding of the origin of life for the Ferguson Science Lecture at 11 a.m. on Wed., Feb. 6 in Graham Chapel as part of the Assembly Series.

Tiny helpers Nanostructures show potential to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric brain cancer April 9, 2007 -- The magnified nanoparticles shown here are actually about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Chemistry meets biology in this innovative research program. Using synthetic particles invisible to the naked eye, researchers hope to better diagnose and treat childhood brain cancer, the third most common cancer of children. The particles are called nanostructures or nanoparticles because they are measured in nanometers, an almost unimaginably small unit, a billion times shorter than a yardstick.

Like a sponge Triple threat polymer captures and releases June 8, 2006 -- David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Karen L. Wooley and lab members examine polymer samples. Download A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a remarkable nanostructured material that can repel pests, sweeten the air, and some day might even be used as a timed drug delivery system — as a nasal spray, for instance. Karen L. Wooley, Ph.D., Washington University James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, has taken the same materials that she developed more than four years ago as marine "antifouling" coatings that inhibit marine organisms such as barnacles from attaching to the hull of ships to now capture fragrance molecules and release them at room temperature. More...

The road not taken Electrons choose another path in photosynthesis protein May 4, 2006 -- David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Christine Kirmaier (left) and Dewey Holten making adjustments in their sophisticated laser laboratory. Their findings advance the understanding of photosynthesis. Download In the famous Robert Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken," the persona, forced to travel one of two roads, takes the one less traveled by, and "that has made all the difference." Chemists at Washington University in St. Louis and Stanford University, in kinship with Frost, have modified a key protein in a bacterium to move electrons along a pathway not normally traveled by. They got this to happen 70 percent of the time. That yield "makes all the difference." More...

A world of promise Chemist explores ways to make hydrogen a viable fuel Nov. 2, 2005 -- Storing hydrogen is problematic. A WUSTL chemist and his colleagues are exploring different approaches to help make hydrogen fuel more practical. A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis hopes to find the right stuff to put the element hydrogen in a sticky situation. Lev Gelb is exploring several different ways to store hydrogen and prepares theoretical models of molecules that could enable storage and transport of hydrogen gas. One process would involve materials that hydrogen would stick to.

Small World Washington University selected as NIH Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology May 2, 2005 -- Washington University in St. Louis has been chosen as a Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Karen Wooley, Ph.D., Washington University professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, is principal investigator of the Program, which NHLBI is funding at $12.5 million for five years.

Just say 'no' Bacteria's enzymes show promise in industry, pharmaceuticals Nov. 11, 2004 -- A chemist at Washington University in St. Louis has found surprisingly tough enzymes in a bacterium that "just says no to acid." Acid resistance is a valued trait for both pills and human pathogens. The bacterium Acetobacter aceti makes unusually acid-resistant enzymes in spades, which could make the organism a source for new enzyme products and new directions in protein chemistry.

Small world, big advance Shell cross-linking technique key to making nanoparticles May 4, 2004 -- Wooley Download Using a technique pioneered by Washington University in St. Louis chemist Karen Wooley, Ph.D., scientists have developed a novel way to make discrete carbon nanoparticles for electrical components used in industry and research.

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Macromolecular Architectures
In the area of macromolecular architectures, highly branched polymers have shown unusual physical properties in comparison to traditional linear polymer chains. The group studies the synthesis of perfluorinated hyperbranched materials, and their ability to serve as minimally-adhesive and chemically-resistant materials. Hyperbranched polycarbonates are being studied as soluble and reactive analogs to the polycarbonates that are typically used as excellent engineering materials. Micromechanical properties of these materials are investigated with atomic force microscopy.

Nanoscale
Shell-crosslinked Knedels, amphiphilic nanometer-sized spheres, assembled through micellar-organization followed by linking together of the peripheral shell, contain a mobile hydrophobic core surrounded by a water-soluble layer. Such structures are being targeted for applications as broad as drug delivery, encapsulation technologies, coatings, pollutant removal systems, catalysis, composites, among others. Hollowing of the nanoparticles, via excavation of the hydrophobic core material, produces nanoscale cage-like structures, which are being developed for performance as mimics of viral capsids. Dendrimeric cylinders, liquid crystalline sub-units and graft copolymer micellar structures also are being developed for the construction of the desired architectures; and, degradable polymers. Poly(silyl ester)s, containing labile silyl ester bonds along the backbone of the polymer, are studied as a new family of degradable polymers in which stability toward nucleophilic attack is dependent upon the substituents attached to the silicon atoms.