My primary area of research was secondary products chemistry. As a plant tissue culturist I examined tissues derived in culture (including transgenic tissues) for the production of secondary metabolites and their precursors, and compared their chemical profiles with intact plant organs. For my masters research I examined the production of thiarubrines (dithiacyclohexadienne polyynes) in Ambrosia chamissonis, isolating and identifying two novel compounds and examining the potential of these compounds, and other thiarubrines, as medicinal agents. Assays however, revealed that the therapeutic and toxicity concentrations were too similar.
