Biography
Areas of Interest
Designing drugs that utilize membrane transporter proteins to treat brain cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
Designing drugs to treat brain and mental health disorders.
Education
Ph.D. Chemistry (Organic), The Scripps Research Institute, 2000
M.S. Chemistry (Organic), Baylor University, 1994
B.S. Chemistry (summa cum laude, highest ranking student), Baylor University, 1992
Faculty Appointments
2018 – Present Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska Kearney
2014 – 2018 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska Kearney
Awards
2020 Faculty Mentoring of Undergraduate Student Research Award
2021 Pratt-Heins Foundation Faculty Award – Research/Scholarship
Announcements
Visit Thomas research group website (external link)
Research Funding
In 2022, Dr. Thomas received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA; R15 HL165700) through the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). His group seeks to develop inhibitors of the key enzyme involved in making melatonin, serotonin N-acetyl-transferase (SNAT, AANAT). By better understanding SNAT’s function, researchers could potentially develop a drug to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other disorders in which melatonin levels are abnormally high. The team includes UNK professors Allen Thomas (PI), Michael Moxley, Evan Hill and Surabhi Chandra in addition to external collaborators Profs. Philip Cole (Harvard), Ryan Wong (UNO) and Mark Wilson (UNL). We apply computational and experimental approaches including medicinal chemistry and zebrafish models of sleep to discover and optimize inhibitors to overcome weaknesses of earlier attempts at blocking melatonin synthesis.
UNK student’s research idea receives $395K in grant funding
Publications
“Synthesis of ribavirin 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-triazolyl analogs with changes at the amide and cytotoxicity in breast cancer cell lines,” Way, H.; Roh, J.; Venteicher, B.; Chandra, S.; Thomas, A. A., Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids 2023, 42, 38-64.
“Describing inhibitor specificity for the amino acid transporter LAT1 from metainference simulations,” Hutchingson, K.; Silva, D.B.; Bohlke, J.; Clausen, C.; Thomas, A.A.; Bonomi, M.; Schlessinger, A., Biophysical Journal 2022, 121, 4476-4491.
“The effects of prodrug size and a carbonyl linker on L-type amino acid transporter 1-targeted cellular and brain uptake,” Venteicher, B.; Merklin, K.; Ngo, H.X.; Chien, H.-C.; Hutchinson, K.; Campbell, J.; Way, H.; Griffith, J.; Alvarado, C.; Chandra, S.; Hill, E.; Schlessinger, A.; Thomas, A.A., ChemMedChem 2021, 16, 869-880.
L-type amino acid transporter 1 activity of 1,2,3-triazolyl analogs of L-histidine and L-tryptophan,” Hall, C.; Wolfe, H.; Wells, A.; Chien, H.-C.; Colas, C.; Schlessinger, A.; Giacomini, K. M.; Thomas, A. A., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2019, 29, 2254.
“Reevaluating the substrate specificity of the L-type amino acid transporter (LAT1).” Chien, H.-C.; Colas, C.; Finke, K.; Springer, S.; Stoner, L; Zur, A. A.; Flint, A.; Augustyn, E.; Venteicher, B.; Campbell, J.; Hall, C.; Hernandez, C.; Heeren, N.; Hansen, L.; Anthony, A.; Bauer, J.; Fotiadis, D.; Schlessinger, A.; Giacomini, K. M.; Thomas, A. A., J. Med. Chem. 2018, 61, 7358.
“LAT1 activity of carboxylic acid bioisosteres: Evaluation of hydroxamic acids as substrates,” Zur, A.A.; Chien, H.-C.; Augustyn, E.; Flint, A.; Heeren, N.; Finke, K.; Hernandez, C.; Hansen, L.; Miller, S.; Lin, L.; Giacomini, K.M.; Colas, C.; Schlessinger, A.; Thomas, A.A., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2016, 26, 5000-5006.
"LAT-1 Activity of meta-Substituted Phenylalanine and Tyrosine Analogs” Augustyn, E.; Finke, K.; Zur, A.A.; Hansen, L; Heeren, N.; Chien, H.-C.; Lin, L.; Giacomini, K.M.; Colas, C.; Schlessinger, A.; Thomas, A.A., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2016, 26, 2616-2621.
“8-Tetrahydropyran-2-yl chromans: highly selective beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) inhibitors,” Thomas, A.A.; Hunt, K.W.; Newhouse, B.; Watts, R.J.; Liu, X.; Vigers, G.; Smith, D.; Rhodes, S.P.; Brown, K.D.; Otten, J.N.; Burkard, M.; Cox, A.A.; Geck Do, M.K.; Dutcher, D.; Rana, S.; DeLisle, R.K.; Regal, K.; Wright. A.D.; Groneberg, R.; Liao, J.; Scearce-Levie, K.; Siu, M.; Purkey, H.E.; Lyssikatos, J.P., J. Med. Chem. 2014, 57, 10112-10129.
“Discovery of 7‑Tetrahydropyran-2-yl Chromans: β‑Site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1 (BACE1) Inhibitors That Reduce Amyloid β‑Protein (Aβ) in the Central Nervous System,” Thomas, A.A.; Hunt, K.W.; Volgraf, M.; Watts, R.J.; Liu, X.; Vigers, G.; Smith, D.; Sammond, D.; Tang, T.P.; Rhodes, S.P.; Metcalf, A.T.; Brown, K.D.; Otten, J.N.; Burkard, M.; Cox, A.A.; Geck Do, M.K.; Dutcher, D.; Rana, S.; DeLisle, R.K.; Regal, K.; Wright. A.D.; Groneberg, R.; Scearce-Levie, K.; Siu, M.; Purkey, H.E.; Lyssikatos, J.P.; Gunawardana, I., J. Med. Chem. 2014, 57, 878-902.
“Spirocyclic β-Site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme 1 (BACE1) Inhibitors: From Hit to Lowering of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Amyloid β in a Higher Species.” Hunt, K.W.; Cook, A.W.; Watts, R.J.; Clark, C.T.; Vigers, G.; Smith, D.; Metcalf, A.T.; Gunawardana, I.W.; Burkard, M.; Cox, A.A.; Geck Do, M.K.; Dutcher, D.; Thomas, A.A.; Rana, S.; Kallan, N.C.; DeLisle, R.K.; Rizzi, J.P.; Regal, K.; Sammond, D.; Groneberg, R.; Siu, M.; Purkey, H.; Lyssikatos, J.P.; Marlow, A.; Liu, X.; Tang, T.P., J. Med. Chem. 2013, 56, 3379-3403.
New breakthroughs
New breakthroughs
