Mikko Ora
Senior Lecturer
mikora@utu.fi +358 29 450 3196 +358 50 328 5911 Office: K219 ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5125-6127 |
Organic Chemistry; Kinetics; Nucleotides; Prodrugs
M.Sc. 1994; Ph.D. 1999 (Bioorganic chemistry); Adjunct Professor 2006 (Physical organic chemistry)
Senior Lecturer since 2006
Structurally modified nucleotides have received attention as a means to combat against viral infections, cancer and hereditary diseases. The research is focused on pro-drug models of nucleotides. The goal is to develop the degradable lipophilic carriers which are used to improve the cellular membrane penetration of the negatively charged nucleotides. To obtain mechanistic information on the chemical hydrolysis and enzymatic cleavage of the protecting groups, the kinetic studies of the pro-drugs are of interest.
The small RAS oncoproteins play a crucial role in human cancers and are, hence, a target in anticancer drug discovery. In spite of numerous efforts, a direct small-molecule signalling inhibitor drug of mutant RAS has not been able to develop. The aim of the study is to provide a potent method to suppress oncogenic RAS signalling with phosphotriester derivatives.
KEMI6110 Organic Chemistry
KEMI6124 B.Sc.Laboratory Project, Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- 3-Acetyloxy-2-cyano-2-(alkylaminocarbamoyl)propyl Groups as Biodegradable Protecting Groups of Nucleoside 5 '-mono-Phosphates (2011)
- Molecules
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Stepwise Mechanism of Hydroxide Ion Catalyzed Cyclization of Uridine 3´-Thiophosphates (2011)
- Helvetica Chimica Acta
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Synthesis and Enzymatic Deprotection of Biodegradably Protected Dinucleoside-2 ',5 '-monophosphates: 3-(Acetyloxy)-2,2-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)propyl Phosphoesters of 3 '-O-(Acyloxymethyl)adenylyl-2 ',5 '-adenosines (2011)
- Chemistry and Biodiversity
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Hydrolytic Reactions of Nucleoside Phosphoramidates: Kinetics and Mechanisms (2010)
- Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - Towards a Pro-Drug Strategy for Short Oligoribonucleotides: Synthesis and Cleavage of Biodegradably Protected Adenylyl-2´,5´-adenosines (2010) Proceedings of the XIX International Round Table on Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids Kiuru E, Ora M, Beigelman L, Blatt L, Lönnberg H
(B3 Non-refereed article in a conference publication)