My research interests are in the area of cancer metabolomics and stems from my interests in cancer biology and lipid chemistry. Metabolomics is the systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind. Small molecular metabolites can be the end products of molecules like cholesterol or proteins. Metabolic profiling gives a “snapshot” of the physiology of the cell. My goal is to take the existing knowledge of biochemistry to address diseases such as cancer. These goals can be accomplished by studying biological samples from cancer patients and comparing them to those of healthy patients, and then determining whether the lipid metabolic products increase or decrease in the diseased sample. One way to accomplish this goal is by extracting the lipids from the sample using organic solvents, and studying them using a bioanalytical technique called massed spectrometry (MS). Mass spectrometry is sometimes likened to a molecular scale, and identifies the metabolites by their mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio.
Currently in my biochemistry lab, students are extracting lipids (phase I) from healthy patients and patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). RCC is the number one kidney cancer and accounts for 90% of all kidney cancers. RCC is considered a silent disease because it isn’t usually found until it has metastasized or spread to other organs (stage III or IV). The recovery rate in stage III or IV is approximately 5%. If caught early, stage I, the recovery rate is approximately 95%. We are in the process of looking at lipid metabolites with the hope of finding a biomarker (indicator of the disease) for early stage RCC. We are using both gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) MS. Once we identify a biomarker, we will collaborate with Professor Colleen Fried in The Department of Chemistry at Hiram College to synthesize a biomarker standard for both phase I and phase II of the study. Phase II of the study will then involve the development of alternative biochemical methods for detecting the biomarker, such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).
Biochemistry students in my lab are also looking at the protective effects that estrogen has in women against heart disease. Our study includes looking at biological samples in women both pre- and post-menopausal women and comparing these samples to analogous ones from men. Our preliminary LCMS experiments have identified a lipid associated with cholesterol that is predominant in the males, but not in the females studied.
My past biochemical projects include identification of metalloprotease biomarkers from vascular endothelial and breast carcinoma cells by 2-D LCMS and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Time-Of-Flight (MALDI TOF) MS, identification, differentiation and fingerprinting of Coxsackie viral capsid proteins found in drinking water by MALDI TOF MS, determination of the activity/viability of the anti-tumorigenic/anti-viral drug D609 on Herpes Simplex cells by MS, early detection of ovarian carcinoma in plasma by the quantitative analysis of lysophosphatidic acid by LCMS, and novel indicators of disease states in biological fluid by MS and ELISA.
I currently teach courses in general biochemistry, intermediate biochemistry, research techniques in biochemistry, and virology.
Hobbies: Running (my passion), power yoga, biking, hiking (I love the outdoors!)
AWARDS
Akron Local Hero Award, 2006
Student Travel Award, The American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 2000
BF Goodrich Research Award, The University of Akron, 1999
Phi Sigma Alpha (National Arts & Sciences Honorary), 1994
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Society for Mass Spectrometry
Northeast Ohio Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
PUBLICATIONS
“Differentiation of Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration from Healthy Controls by ELISA”, Modarelli, J. M.; Walker, T. J. Amer. Med. Assoc. (prepared-awaiting industrial approval).
“Determination of Lysophosphatidic Acid as a Biomarker for Early Stage Ovarian Cancer by LC-ESI MS”, Modarelli, J. M.; Shan, L.; Bosykh, D. Biol. Chem. (prepared-awaiting patent).
"Strain Differentiation and Determination of Capsid Proteins of Coxsackievirus by MALDI-MS" Modarelli, J. M.; Shoemaker J. A.; Fout, G. S.; Dahling, D. R. Anal. Chem. (prepared-awaiting EPA approval).
"Intrinsic Chemistry of Na+-Coordinated Peptide Radicals: Prevalence for Radical-Induced Dissociation" Modarelli, J. M.; Modarelli, D. A.; Polce, M. J.; Wesdemiotis, C. J. Am. Chem. Soc., in preparation.
"Li+-Coordinated Polyglycol Radicals: Ion Molecule Reactions with Alkenes and Ethers" Modarelli, J. M.; Polce, M. J.; Wesdemiotis, C. Euro J. Mass Spectrom. 2004, 10, 909-920.
"Alkali Metal Ion Binding to Amino Acids Versus their Methyl Esters: Affinity Trends and Structural Changes in the Gas Phase". Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Cerda, B.A.; Ohanessian, G.; Wesdemiotis, C. Chem.-Eur. J. 2002, 8(6), 1377-1388.
"Synthesis and Structural Characterization of an Imidazolium-Linked Cyclophane and the Silver Complex of an N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Linked Cyclophane" Garrison, J.C.; Simons, R.S.; Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C.; Tessier, C.A.; Youngs, W.J. Organometallics 2001, 20(7), 1276-1278.
PRESENTATIONS
Milec, W.V.; Modarelli, J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C., “Quantification of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters as Biomarkers by HPLC/Electrospray Mass Spectrometry” Poster presentation at the 54th ASMS Conference, Seattle, WA, May 28th-June 1st, 2006.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Shoemaker, J.A.; Fout, G.S.; Dahling, D.R. "Strain Differentiation and Determination of Capsid Proteins of Coxsackie Virus by MALDI-MS" Talk presented at the 224th ACS Meeting, Boston, MA, August 18-22, 2002.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Shoemaker, J.A.; Fout, G.S.; Dahling, D.R. "Strain Differentiation and Determination of Capsid Proteins of Coxsackie Virus by MALDI-MS" Poster presentation at the 50th ASMS Conference, Orlando, FL, June 2-6, 2002.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Polce, M.J.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Determining Proton Affinities of Amino Acid and Dipeptide Radicals via the Kinetic Method" Talk presented at the Proceedings of the 49th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Chicago, IL, May 27-31, 2001.
Pingitore, F.; Polce, M.J.; Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C.; Paizs, B. "Unimolecular Chemistry of Protonated Glycylglycine" Poster presented at the Proceedings of the 49th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Chicago, IL, May 27-31, 2001.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Polce, M.J.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Ion Molecule Reactions of Metal Coordinated Polyglycol Distonic Radical Cations with Reactive Gaseous Reagents" Talk presented at the Proceedings of the 48th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Long Beach, CA, June 11-15, 2000.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Metal Ion Coordinated Peptide Radicals" Talk presented at the 16th Ontario Gas Phase Ion Conference, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada, October 29-30, 1999.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Polce, M.J.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Generation and Characterization of Metallated Radical Cations from Di- and Tripeptides" Talk presented at the Proceedings of the 31st ACS Central Regional Meeting, Columbus, OH, June 21-23, 1999.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Polce, M.J.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Generation and Characterization of Metallated Radical Cations from Di- and Tripeptides" Talk presented at the Proceedings of the 47th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Dallas, TX, June 13-17, 1999.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Polce, M.J.; Wesdemiotis, C. "The Unimolecular Chemistry of Sodiated and Copperated Dipeptides by Tandem Mass Spectrometry" Talk presented at the 15th Ontario Gas Phase Ion Conference, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada, October 23-24, 1998.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C. "The Unimolecular Reactions of the Na+ and Cu+ Coordinated Dipeptides GG, AA,GA and AG" Poster presentation, Proceedings of the 46th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, Orlando, FL, May 31-June 4, 1998.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Competition for K+ Between Antitumor Drugs and Amino Acid Salts" Talk presented at the 14th Ontario Gas Phase Ion Conference, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada, October 24-25, 1997.
Talley (Modarelli), J.M.; Wesdemiotis, C. "Molecular Recognition of Xanthate by Amino Acid Residues" Talk presented at the 13th Ontario Gas Phase Ion Conference, Trent University, Peterborough, Canada, October 25-26, 1996.
