Dawn Wong

Dr. Dawn Wong

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

25Years (2002-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
9 August 2006 in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
EREdwin H. Rydberg
Edwin H. Rydberg
BBBoris Brumshtein
Boris Brumshtein
HGHarry M. Greenblatt
Harry M. Greenblatt
DWDawn Wong
Dawn Wong
DSDavid Shaya
David Shaya
Joel SussmanJoel Sussman
Joel Sussman

6 February 2002 in Biochemistry
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
HDH. Dvir
H. Dvir
DWDawn Wong
Dawn Wong
MHM. Harel
M. Harel
XBXavier Barril
Xavier Barril
MOM. Orozco
M. Orozco
Joel SussmanJoel Sussman
Joel Sussman

7 August 2002 in Biochemistry
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
HDH. Dvir
H. Dvir
HJH. L. Jiang
H. L. Jiang
DWDawn Wong
Dawn Wong
MHM. Harel
M. Harel
MCM. Chetrit
M. Chetrit
Joel SussmanJoel Sussman
Joel Sussman

13 December 2002 in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
DWDawn Wong
Dawn Wong
HGHarry M. Greenblatt
Harry M. Greenblatt
HDHay Dvir
Hay Dvir
PCPaul R. Carlier
Paul R. Carlier
YHYi-Fan Han
Yi-Fan Han
Joel SussmanJoel Sussman
Joel Sussman

1 July 2012 in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
JHJoshua A. Hartsel
Joshua A. Hartsel
DWDawn Wong
Dawn Wong
JMJames Mutunga
James Mutunga
MMMing Ma
Ming Ma
TATroy D. Anderson
Troy D. Anderson
PCPaul R. Carlier
Paul R. Carlier

1 February 2007 in Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
PDF file
HHH. Haviv
H. Haviv
DWDawn Wong
Dawn Wong
ISI. Silman
I. Silman
Joel SussmanJoel Sussman
Joel Sussman
The naturally occurring alkaloid Huperzine A (HupA) is an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor that has been used for centuries as a Chinese folk medicine in the context of its source plant Huperzia Serrata. The potency and relative safety of HupA rendered it a promising drug for the ameliorative treatment of Alzheimers disease (AD) vis-a-vis the “cholinergic hypothesis” that attributes the cognitive decrements associated with AD to acetylcholine deficiency in the brain. However, recent evidence supports a neuroprotective role for HupA, suggesting that it could act as more than a mere palliative. Biochemical and crystallographic studies of AChE revealed two potential binding sites in the active-site gorge of AChE, one of which, the “peripheral anionic site” at the mouth of the gorge, was implicated in promoting aggregation of the beta amyloid (Aβ) peptide responsible for the neurodegenerative process in AD. This feature of AChE facilitated the development of dual-site binding HupA-based bivalent ligands, in hopes of concomitantly increasing AChE inhibition potency by utilizing the “chelate effect”, and protecting neurons from Aβ toxicity. Crystal structures of AChE allowed detailed modeling and docking studies that were instrumental in enhancing the understanding of underlying principles of bivalent inhibitor-enzyme dynamics. This monograph reviews two categories of HupA-based bivalent ligands, in which HupA and HupA fragments serve as building blocks, with a focus on the recently solved crystallographic structures of Torpedo californica AChE in complex with such bifunctional agents. The advantages and drawbacks of such structured-based drug design, as well as species differences, are highlighted and discussed.