Education:

B.S., University of California at Berkeley, 1996
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2001

Research Interests:

Human exposure to reactive chemicals is extensive from sources such as environmental chemicals, the diet, drug therapy, and bioactivation.  Research in my laboratory is centered around understanding cellular chemical reactions between reactive chemicals and biological macromolecules, with a focus on how these chemical interactions impact the development and treatment of cancer.  Our goals are to establish diagnostic tools for carcinogen exposure and effective strategies for cancer prevention and therapy. This program unites contemporary research in organic, medicinal, synthetic, and analytical chemistry.  For more information, visit the Sturla Research Site

Recent Publications:

Nucleobase-dependent Reactivity of a Quinone Metabolite of Pentachlorophenol Vaidyanathan, V. G.; Villalta, P. W.; Sturla, S. J. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 2007, in press.

A Synthetic Nucleoside Probe that Discerns a DNA Adduct from Unmodified DNA Gong, J.; Sturla, S. J. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 2007, in press. 

Depurinating Acylfulvene-DNA Adducts: Characterizing Cellular Chemical Reactions of a Selective Antitumor Agent Gong, J.; Vaidyanathan, V. G.; Yu, X.; Kensler, T. W.; Peterson, L. A.; Sturla, S. J. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 2007, 129, 2101-2111

Quantitation of Pyridyloxobutyl DNA Adducts of Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines in Rat Tissue DNA by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass SpectrometryLao, Y.; Villalta, P. W.; Sturla, S. J.; Wang, M.; Hecht, S. S. Chem. Res. Toxicol.; 2006, 19, 674-682. 

Investigating the Role of Stereochemistry in the Activity of Anticancer Acylfulvenes: Synthesis, Reductase-Mediated Bioactivation, and Cellular Toxicity Gong, J.; Neels, J. F.; Yu, X.; Kensler, T. W.;  Peterson, L. A.; Sturla, S. J. J. Med. Chem., 2006, 49, 2593-2599.

Identification of Cyanidin Glycosides as Potential Chemopreventive Constituents of Freeze-Dried Black Raspberries.  Hecht, S. S.; Huang, C.; Stoner, G. D.; Li, J.; Kenney, P. M. J.; Sturla, S. J.; Carmella, S. G.  Carcinogenesis, 2006, 27, 1617-1626.

Characterization of a deoxyguanosine adduct of tetrachlorobenzoquinone: Dichlorobenzoquinone-1,N²-etheno-2’-deoxyguanosine. Nguyen, T. N. T.; Bertagnolli, A. D.; Villalta, P. W.; Bühlmann, P.; Sturla, S. J. Chem. Res. Toxicol.2005, 18, 1770-1776.

Mass Spectrometric Analysis of the Relative Levels of Pyridyloxobutylation Adducts Formed in the Reaction of DNA with 4-(Acetoxymethylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, a chemically activated form of the tobacco-related carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK).  Sturla, S. J.; Scott, J.; Lao, Y.B.; Hecht, S. S.; Villalta, P. W.  Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2005, 18, 1048-1055.

Identification of O²-Substituted Pyrimidine Adducts formed in Reactions of 4-(Acetoxymethylnitrosamino)-1-(3-Pyridyl)-1-butanone and 4-(Acetoxymethylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-Butanol with DNA.  Hecht, S. S.; Villalta, P.; Sturla, S. J.; Wang, M. Y.; Upadhyaya, P. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2004, 17, 588-597.

Identification of Adducts Formed by Pyridyloxobutylation of Deoxyguanosine and DNA by 4-(Acetoxymethylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, a Chemically Activated Form of Tobacco-Specific Carcinogens. Wang, M.; Cheng, G.; Sturla, S. J.; Shi, Y.; McIntee, E. J.; Villalta, P. W.; Upadhyaya, P.; Hecht, S. S. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2003, 16, 616-626.

Identification of Adducts Produced by the Reaction of 4-(Acetoxymethylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1butanol with Deoxyguanosine and DNA. Upadhyaya, P.; Sturla, S. J.; Tretyakova, N.; Ziegel, R.; Villalta, P. W.; Wang, M.; Hecht, S. S., Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2003, 16, 180-190.

Reactions of Formaldehyde Plus Acetaldehyde with Deoxyguanosine and DNA: Formation of Cyclic Deoxyguanosine Adducts and Formaldehyde Cross-Links. Cheng, G.; Sturla, S. J.; Jalas, J. R.; Shi, Y. L.; Villalta, P.; Wang, M. Y.; Hecht, S. S., Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2003, 16, 145-152.