Gary Dmitrienko

• Bioorganic and medicinal chemistry related to antimicrobial and anticancer agents
• Synthesis of heterocyclic and carbocyclic compounds 
• Mechanistic organic chemistry and biochemistry
• Natural products chemistry and biochemistry

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are increasing with growing numbers of susceptible individuals in aging populations. So-called Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli cause many thousands of HAIs each year. The beta-lactamsare the most important antibiotics for HAIs caused by these organisms. Since Gram-negative bacteria have become resistant to most other antibiotics, carbapenems (the most powerful beta-lactams) are now the most important treatment for these infections.

Gary Dmitrienko's research focuses on designing, creating and testing molecules that will block carbapenem-resistance mechanisms like NDM-1 and so enable carbapenems to kill resistant Gram-negative bacteria. 

Natural products with potent antibacterial and anticancer properties are also a major area of interest.

Gary Dmitrienko teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. Course offerings have included biochemistry, organic chemistry, metabolism, enzyme kinetics, organic spectroscopy and molecular modeling.

• Assay for drug discovery: Synthesis and testing of nitrocefin analogues for use as β-lactamase substrates. Ghavami, A.; Labbé, G.; Brem, J.; Goodfellow, V. J.;  Marrone, L., Tanner, C. A.; King, D. T., Lam, M.; Strynadka, N. C.; Pillai, D. R.;  Siemann, S.; Spencer, J.; Schofield, C. J.; Dmitrienko, G. I. Anal. Biochem. 2015, 486, 75-7.
• Arginine-containing peptides as potent inhibitors of VIM-2 metallo-β-lactamase. Rotondo, C. M.; Marrone, L.; Goodfellow, V. J., Ghavami, A.; Labbé, G.; Spencer, J.; Dmitrienko G. I.; Siemann, S. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 2015, 1850, 2228-38.
• Prekinamycin and an isosteric-isoelectronic analogue exhibit comparable cytotoxicity towards K562 human leukemia cells, Abbott, G.L.; Wu, X.;  Zhao, Z.;  Guo, L.;  Birman, V.B;  Hasinoff, B. B.; Dmitrienko, G.I. Med. Chem. Commun., 2014, 5, 1364-1370.
• Cyclobutanone Analogues of b-Lactams Revisited: Insights Into Conformational Requirements for Inhibition of Serine- and Metallo-b-Lactamases. Johnson, J. W.; Gretes, M.; Goodfellow, V. J.; Marrone, L.; Heynen, M. L.; Strynadka, N. C. J.; Dmitrienko, G. I. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 2558–2560.
• Cyclobutanone Mimics of Penicillins: Effects of Substitution on Conformation and Hemiketal Stability. Johnson, J. W.; Evanoff, D. P.; Savard, M. E.; Lange, G.; Ramadhar, T. R.; Assoud, A.; Taylor, N. J.; Dmitrienko, G. I. J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 6970–6982.

• Cross-appointed to the School of Pharmacy
• Member of the Institute of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
• Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (member) 

• Member of the CIHR Industry-Partnered Collaborative Research grant selection panel, 2012-2015
• Member of the Pharmaceutical Sciences operating grant selection panel Canadian Institutes for Health Research, 2007, 2010              

The following news stories have featured Gary Dmitrienko's research:

• January 25, 2012:  UW researcher tackling problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
• November 15, 2011:  UW joins two-nation team to fight Super Bugs

• 1974 PhD, Organic Chemistry, University of Toronto
• 1970 BSc, Honours Chemistry, University of Toronto