Chad Tatko, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Email: . cdt2@calvin.edu
Office: .307 DeVries Hall
Phone: (616) 526-7584
Fax: .....(616) 526-6501
Weekly Schedule
(Calvin Portal login required)
Education
- B.S. Wheaton College, 1998
- Ph.D. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Organic Chemistry, 2004.
Thesis: The Thermodynamic and Geometric Impact of Noncovalent Interactions on Elements of Secondary Structure
Advisor: Marcey L. Waters
Professional History
- Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Calvin College, 2006-present
- NIH Post-doctoral Associate, University of Pennsylvania, 2005-2006
- NIH Cancer Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, 2004-2005
Courses
- Chem 103 & 103L: General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory
- Chem 261 & 261L: Organic Chemistry I & Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
- Chem 262 & 262L: Organic Chemistry II & Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
- Interim: Be Fit For Life: Bike Australia
Research Interests
An Alternative to Lewis-Acid CatalysisMutagenesis studies have implicated an aromatic stack as the method of enzymatic activation for the purine salvage pathway in protozoa. Generation of a beta-haripin peptide with diagonally displayed tryptophan residues should mimic the binding pocket yielding glycosidic bond hydrolysis of adenosine
Peptides Mimicking Nature: The Crucial Role of Aromatics
The widespread use of pentachlorophenol (PCP) has resulted in this toxin leaking into the soil and ground water. By using a beta-hairpin scaffold a molecular cleft is engineered to bind PCP. These peptides may be tuned both structurally and electronically to bind additional, related toxins.
Biocatalytic Desulfurization of Diesel Fuel
The burning of sulfur containing compounds in petroleum fuel stocks has been linked with acid rain and cardiopulmonary disease. Bacteria degrade dibenzothiophene (DBT), but not on the macroscale. Introduction of aromatic rich peptides have shown the capacity to bind DBT and may present a novel method of sulfur removal.
