Elliott Guido '22

2020 SOAR Profile

Characterization of Glucose Conjugated Rhodium Complexes

Majors: Biochemistry and Music
Hometown: Easton, PA
Adviser: Dr. Steve Dunham

Briefly describe your project.

My project was about trying to enhance dirhodium tetraacetate’s anticancer properties by attaching glucose to the complex. We attempted to create different compounds by attaching the glucose to different parts of the molecule in different orientations. The other goal was to try to make the complex more soluble in H2O.

Describe the origin of your project. (E.g., did you pitch the idea and choose a faculty member, or did they come to you with an idea?)

This is a project that has been ongoing for both Dr. Steve and Dr. Shari Dunham for a while. The research that I did was just part of the puzzle. The end goal is to try to use the structure of dirhodium tetraacetate almost as a Swiss army knife by attaching different molecules around the rhodium, with each one doing a specific thing. My research was on just one part of the knife. The purpose of attaching glucose was to see if we could use it as a targeting agent as well as to increase the solubility of the complex. 

What’s the best part about working with your faculty mentor? What valuable insights have they brought to your project?

The best part of working with Dr. Steve was just the amount of knowledge that he was able to share with me. I feel so much more well rounded as a scientist/student coming out of my research. Dr. Steve is so much fun to work with, and he really taught me a great deal about chemistry and how to work all the different instruments in the lab. I can confidently say that I feel 100 times more comfortable in and around the lab setting, and so much more confident in using all the different instruments around the apartment. 

What has been your biggest obstacle so far?

The biggest obstacle that happened during the lab was when a reaction did not go the way we thought it was going to go. The amides that we ended up working with did not react as fast as we thought they would, and they ended up being a big problem. The other thing we ran into was seeing NMR data that we did not expect when, for one specific reaction, we ended up with two sugars attached instead of just one. 

What has been your biggest takeaway from this experience?

The biggest takeaway from this is that “it’s not a race, it’s a marathon,” as Dr. Steve would say. I would find myself sometimes getting frustrated that reactions weren’t working or the NMR did not look quite like I wanted it to, and I would want to stay in that lab for as long as I could until I got the answers I was looking for. But Dr. Steve always was able to help me take a step back and realize that I had already been in the lab all day and it was okay that it didn’t go perfectly. We can always figure it out tomorrow and take our time and do it right.

What was the result of your project? 

We were able to successfully create two out of the four compounds that we intended to make. The amide reactions did not go so well and took a long time. We then also tried creating the same two compounds, except we wanted to see if we could attach more than one sugar, and if we would be able to use Rh2(OAc)2(TFA) and end up with both a sugar and one TFA on the rhodium. We successfully attached two sugars, but we did not have enough time to see if we made the other with one TFA and one sugar. 

In your own words, how do you feel about being awarded this opportunity? Why should other students take advantage of the SOAR program at Moravian?

This opportunity was absolutely invaluable. Between the connections that I was able to make and the mountains of knowledge that I gained, I cannot describe how grateful I am for the opportunity I was given. I highly recommend the SOAR program to any student in any major who’s looking to do research in the future. 

Now that SOAR is over, do you plan to expand upon your research? If so, how?

I definitely plan on keeping up with Dr. Steve and seeing how the other reactions are going that I was able to set up but unable to analyze or purify. I hope to be able to work with him in the future on better ways to attach the sugar or even trying to attach something else to dirhodium. 

Have you, or do you plan to present this research outside the SOAR presentations? If so, where? Be specific, if possible.

As of right now, Dr. Steve and I have briefly talked about presenting this research outside of SOAR, but it is kind of up in the air because of COVID. I don’t remember specifically what possibilities we spoke about, so I would need to talk with him further.