Dr. Stephen Patton
Professor of Chemistry
(660) 831-4130
Collins Science Center, Room 212
Dr. Patton is developing low cost biosensors to study the release of biomolecules that readily undergo redox reactions. Dr. Patton chemically and physically modifies conductive-carbon electrodes to greatly increase the sensitivity, selectivity and speed of biosensing and to physically fit the biomatrix of interest. Dr. Patton’s contributions to this field have been the development of biosensors for nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (O2-), peroxynitrite (OONO-), carbon monoxide (CO), and peroxide (O22-), recently discovered redox-active secretory products involved in blood pressure regulation, neurotransmission, and host defense in mammals. With the aid of his biosensors, Dr. Patton’s long-term goal is to learn how reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated and propagated and interact in a wide variety of cells types, in many different animals, in normal and pathological states. Dr. Patton’s Full Text Publications freely available on-line:
http://circres.ahajournals.org/content/81/3/372.full
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/650/pdf
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/96/2/667.long
http://journals.lww.com/shockjournal/Abstract/2000/14020/Prostaglandin_E1_Reduces_Ischemia_Reperfusion.26.aspx http://ajpheart.physiology.org/content/295/4/H1514.full
Non-traditional biological systems for which Dr. Patton is developing biosensors:
- •Caenorhabditis elegans (elagant soil nematodes ~1 mm long) are excellent animals for the preliminary testing of promising new drugs for aging studies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CrawlingCelegans.gif
- •Dionaea muscipula (Venus flytraps) are excellent plants for the preliminary testing of promising new drugs to agonize or inhibit the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dionaea_muscipula_closing_trap_animation.gif
In the above picture: Stephen Patton examining the crystal structure of salt (sodium chloride). "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." (Matthew 5:13, MSG)
