The Peters Center is dedicated to a multi- disciplinary research program to investigate the chemical and biochemical features of central nervous system disorders, including Parkinson's Disease and Epilepsy.    

Research - Research activities are devoted primarily to the application of principles of small molecule chemistry to problems in biology, with emphasis on the study of molecular mechanisms of drug metabolism and pharmacological action, and how these processes relate to neurotoxicity and neuroprotection of the central nervous system. Results of studies of the mechanisms of action of monoamine oxidase, cytochrome P-450, and nitric oxide synthase, as well as in vivo screening of new compounds for anticonvulsant activity, are being used to identify molecules which act as neurotoxic and/or neuroprotective agents.    

Education -- The Center offers an undergraduate research program which has attracted students enrolled in the biological, chemical, and engineering sciences. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists participate in a multi-disciplinary research program. Attendance and participation by Center members at scientific meetings are encouraged and financially supported.    

Facilities -- The Center has modern laboratories in Chemistry and Veterinary Medicine including a large self-contained biohazard lab. State of the art instrumentation includes GCMS, HPLC and UV/VIS spectrophotometry. Center personnel have use of the Chemistry Department NMR and Mass Spectrometry facilities (LCMS & EI, CI and FAB MS/MS), and the University Animal Facility.    

Future Plans - A major goal of this research is to gain a more complete understanding of how chemical entities disrupt the normal brain functions and through such efforts contribute to our understanding of the etiology of neurode- generative disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and Epilepsy. Equally important is the use of knowledge gained in this research to effect rational design of molecules which can prevent or alleviate the symptoms of these disorders by appropriate neuroprotection.