Craig A Aspinwall, PhD
Biography
Dr. Aspinwall is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He received B.S. in Chemistry from Berry College and a Ph.D in Chemistry from the University of Florida. Prior to joining the University of Arizona, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Medicine at Karolinska Institute and an Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Energy Ames Laboratory. He holds joint appointments in Biomedical Engineering, the BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Bioresearch, the Arizona Cancer Center and the Sarver Heart Center. His research focuses on the development of new measurement approaches to better understand biological signaling, with a focus on biofunctionalized nanomaterials, biochemical sensors and chemical separations.
Cancer Focus
Our research focuses on the development of new measurement techniques that can be used to perform analyses of intracellular and extracellular signaling compounds in difficult environments, including single cells and tissues. To better understand the molecular basis of diseases, including cancer, the chemical composition of complex samples must be deciphered. Measurement of biological signaling molecules in small sample volumes with sufficient sensitivity and selectivity presents numerous challenges. We develop and apply new measurement strategies at the interface of biomaterials, nanomaterials and biosensors to create new biomimetic and biocompatible sensor platforms that can provide unprecedented capabilities to understand the molecular foundation of abnormal biological function.
Selected Publications
Fröbom, R., E. Berglund, C. A. Aspinwall, W-O. Lui, I-L. Nilsson, C. Larsson, and R. Bränström, "Direct interaction of the ATP-sensitive K channel by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors imatinib, sunitinib and nilotinib.", Biochem Biophys Res Commun, vol. 557, pp. 14-19, 2021 06 11. PMID: 33857840
Janczak, C. M., I. A. C. Calderon, E. Noviana, P. Hadvani, J. Ryung Lee, and C. A. Aspinwall, "Hybrid Nanoparticle Platform for Nanoscale Scintillation Proximity Assay.", ACS Appl Nano Mater, vol. 2, issue 3, pp. 1259-1266, 2019 Mar 22. PMCID: PMC8313019 PMID: 34316544
Janczak, C. M., I. A. C. Calderon, Z. Mokhtari, and C. A. Aspinwall, "Polystyrene-Core, Silica-Shell Scintillant Nanoparticles for Low-Energy Radionuclide Quantification in Aqueous Media.", ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, vol. 10, issue 5, pp. 4953-4960, 2018 Feb 07. PMCID: PMC5837805 PMID: 29328626
Johnson, G. M., T. J. Chozinski, E. S. Gallagher, C. A. Aspinwall, and K. M. Miranda, "Glutathione sulfinamide serves as a selective, endogenous biomarker for nitroxyl after exposure to therapeutic levels of donors.", Free Radic Biol Med, vol. 76, pp. 299-307, 2014 Nov. PMCID: PMC4254043 PMID: 25064322
Berglund, E., D. Berglund, P. Akcakaya, M. Ghaderi, E. Daré, P-O. Berggren, M. Köhler, C. A. Aspinwall, W-O. Lui, J. Zedenius, et al., "Evidence for Ca(2+)-regulated ATP release in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.", Exp Cell Res, vol. 319, issue 8, pp. 1229-38, 2013 May 01. PMCID: PMC3628080 PMID: 23499741