For our latest graduate student feature, the Graduate School had the privilege of talking with Josh Frost about his student experiences studying Medicinal Biochemistry. Researchers in this department are dedicated to finding new methods for the diagnosing and treatment of diseases. For Josh, his path to this point in his academic career has changed overtime – much like the organic compounds that he studies – but he’s managed to find his way here at UNCG.
Introduction
Josh has always expressed interest in science, and he started his undergraduate career as a pre-med student at Washington and Lee University because he thought he wanted to be a medical doctor. His academic journey began as a neuroscience major until he made the switch to Biochemistry: “I really enjoyed the small cellular details of how we ticked,” he said.
Eventually, Josh decided to do a “gap” year at Duke where he studied Bioethics – looking at the ethical implications of advances in Biology and medicine. He knew that he didn’t want to be a doctor anymore, but he was still trying to figure out what the future had in store for him.
For the most part, his studies at Duke involved courses related to the humanities, but he missed being involved with Science. “I decided to complete my scientific training with a doctoral degree, and [I] was very excited to return to actually doing science!” he explained.
Thereafter, he chose UNCG to complete his advanced degree in a PhD program. He had several reasons for choosing UNCG, including his wife who is also pursuing her doctoral degree here at the university. However, Josh also emphasized the importance of a collegial atmosphere that engenders a welcoming environment in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. He commended the supportive environment which fosters collaboration and good rapport between professors and students.
“The department also boasts professors from exceptional institutions, and it’s fantastic to be able to work with people who lead their fields,” he said.
He also talked about what drove him to Medicinal Biochemistry, specifically, and where that interest came from: “I have always had a fascination with chemistry and its applications to biology and pharmaceuticals…so UNCG’s program was very interesting from the outset. The awesome community in the department helped, too!”
Research
According to Josh, organic chemistry was always one of his favorite college courses. He described it as an interest that came naturally to him. In particular, he discussed his fascination with molecular interactions and how organic chemistry influenced his research: “I also took a medicinal chemistry class in undergrad that opened my eyes to how organic chemistry is used in drug design and development. From that point I was hooked!” he said.
His current work involves synthesizing lactams and lactones. For those who aren’t familiar, these organic compounds form specific kinds of cyclic molecules. This means that lactams and lactones make a ring of carbons out of atoms at the molecular level. But it also means that they can have interesting properties.
“Some lactones derived from natural compounds are being investigated for their anti-cancer properties. Lactams are featured particularly in some antibiotic compounds,” Josh explained.
To take this research a step further, Josh and his colleagues want to revise different ways of making lactones and lactams, so that synthesizing them can be easier and more efficient. For this process, Josh is looking at asymmetric molecules and their reactions. He described these molecules as having carbon with four different types of atoms attached to them.
“These ‘chiral’ molecules can have a pair – known as an enantiomer – where the same four things are bound to the carbon but in a different configuration. Your hands are a good example of this – you have two hands with four fingers and a thumb, but intuitively we know they are different,” he explained.
Organic molecules often have this property as well, and understanding this structure is important for studying how a molecule behaves with other molecules in our bodies. This is where we start to better understand long-term solutions for diseases.
Manuscript Writing
Josh also discussed his processes as a synthetic organic chemist. He tells us that he searches for new ways to make organic, or carbon-containing, molecules. “For synthetic chemists, the process involves making a LOT of new molecules based on a specific reaction or a new way of making something, and then compiling all those new molecules in one place to “prove” to other scientists that we’ve made those molecules,” he explained.
Josh is currently engaged in writing a manuscript for publishing. He described the writing process as incredibly intense, and emphasized the importance of undergoing revisions and rewrites before sending off the final edition to editors for review and comment. For casual readers who may not be familiar with the elements that Josh will be discussing in his manuscript, Josh also broke it down for us in a way that everyone can understand.
First, he compared synthetic organic chemistry to building a Lego set. “You start out with small pieces that can be assembled in a particular way to create a larger finished product. Putting the Legos together in one way or order can have a drastic effect on the final product,” he explained.
In other words, his work involves how building one specific model can become something entirely different if you take a different step in the initial construction. “Synthetic organic chemistry is a bit like that – you start out with small chemical building blocks that are often easily accessible or cheap to buy and put them together through a series of reactions to build a final product,” he said.
Community Impact and the Future
Outside of the lab, Josh also wants to make an important contribution to the surrounding Greensboro community. One of the things that he strives to do is help make science more accessible to everyone, and this includes his work with organic chemistry. For many people, this subject is often considered too difficult to understand, but Josh wants to show that everyone can have an appreciation for science.
Lastly, Josh would like to see his research help others in the community directly by providing new synthetic pathways for creating useful organic compounds. “Maybe one day something I make (or the way I make it) will be a part of how a new drug is synthesized!” he said.
After graduation, Josh has big aspirations to capitalize on his research at UNCG. He wants to work for the United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to look at drug approval processes. Here, he can utilize his expertise – a fascinating intersection of science and bioethics – to improve the transformation of organic compounds into the pharmaceutical products that we depend on.
Finally, the Graduate School asked Josh if he had any advice for future graduate students: “If you’re interested in doing research, talk to the professors whose work interests you! Most of the professors I’ve talked to love talking about their research and would be happy to share more about it with you. Also talk to students in those research labs to figure out what the day-to-day research life is like.”
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