Faculty Profile

Faculty Profile of Elisa Tomat

Elisa Tomat

Assistant Professor

Email: tomat@email.arizona.edu
Building: CSML 444A
Phone: 520-626-5714

Honors


  • Young Investigator Award of the International Society for Zinc Biology, 2009
  • Robert A. Welch Professional Development Fellowship, 2006
  • BASF Endowed Fellowship, University of Texas, 2002
  • Elio Russo Award, University of Trieste, 2002

Education and Appointments


  • Postdoctoral Associate 2007-2010, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Ph.D. 2007, University of Texas at Austin
  • B.S. 2001, University of Trieste, Italy

Research Interests


  • Inorganic
  • Bioinorganic
  • Chemical Biology
  • Synthesis/Synthetic Methods Development

Research Summary



My research interests encompass inorganic chemistry, biochemistry and cell biology, and address open questions on the rich chemistry of transition metal ions in biological systems. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of such queries, the design of research plans in my laboratory combines principles of synthetic and coordination chemistry with current knowledge of cell metabolism and molecular biology. Employing a host of techniques that reflect these interwoven disciplines, research in my group draws inspiration from the roles of metal ions in living systems for the design of metal complexes with specific metabolic and/or catalytic functions. The tools of synthetic chemistry and spectroscopy are used to examine basic cellular processes and to reveal novel therapeutic targets. An emphasis is placed on the contributions of investigated metal complexes to cell proliferation and oxidative stress, and on the biological inorganic chemistry involved in cancer physiology. Current projects study the iron metabolism of cancer cells, the coordination chemistry of electron-rich ligands inspired by pyrrole-based natural products, and the development of fluorescent tools for the characterization of oxidative stress conditions and redox environments in live cells and tissues.

Selected Publications

  • Pluth, M. D.; Tomat, E.; Lippard, S. J. "Biochemistry of Mobile Zinc and Nitric Oxide Revealed by Fluorescent Sensors" Annu. Rev. Biochem. 2011, 80, 333-355.

    Tomat, E.; Lippard, S. J. "Ratiometric and Intensity-Based Zinc Sensors Built on Rhodol and Rhodamine Platforms" Inorg. Chem. 2010, 49, 9113-9115.

    You, Y.; Tomat, E.; Hwang, K.; Atanasijevic, T.; Nam, W.; Jasanoff, A. P.; Lippard, S. J. "Manganese Displacement from Zinpyr-1 Allows Zinc Detection by Fluorescence Microscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging" Chem. Commun. 2010, 4139-4141.

    Tomat, E.; Lippard, S. J. "Imaging Mobile Zinc in Biology" Curr. Op. Chem. Biol. 2010, 14, 225-230.

    Tomat, E.; Nolan, E. M.; Jaworski, J.; Lippard, S. J. "Organelle-specific Zinc Detection Using Zinpyr-labeled Fusion Proteins in Live Cells" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 15776-15777.

    Cuesta, L.; Tomat, E.; Lynch, V. M.; Sessler, J. L. "Binuclear Organometallic Ruthenium Complexes of a Schiff-Base Expanded Porphyrin" Chem. Commun. 2008, 3744-3746.

    Tomat, E.; Cuesta, L.; Lynch, V. M.; Sessler, J. L. "Binuclear Fluoro-Bridged Zinc and Cadmium Complexes of a Schiff Base Expanded Porphyrin: Fluoride Abstraction from the Tetrafluoroborate Anion" Inorg. Chem. 2007, 46, 6224-6226.

    Sessler, J. L.; Tomat, E. "Transition Metal Complexes of Expanded Porphyrins" Acc. Chem. Res. 2007, 40, 371-379.

    Sessler, J. L.; Melfi, P. J.; Tomat E.; Lynch, V. M. "Copper(II) and Oxovanadium(V) Complexes of Hexaphyrin(1.0.1.0.0.0)" Dalton Trans. 2007, 629-632.

    Sessler, J. L.; Tomat, E.; Lynch, V. M. "Coordination of Oxovanadium(V) in an Expanded Porphyrin Macrocycle" Chem. Commun. 2006, 4486-4488 (highlighted as hot article, cover feature).

    Sessler, J. L.; Tomat, E.; Lynch, V. M. "Positive Homotropic Allosteric Binding of Silver(I) Cations in an Schiff Base Oligopyrrolic Macrocycle" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 4184-4185.

    Sessler, J. L.; Melfi, P. J.; Tomat, E.; Callaway, W.; Huggins, M. T.; Gordon, P. L.; Keogh, D. W.; Date, R. W.; Duncan, B. W.; Donnio, B.; "Schiff-Base Oligopyrrolic Macrocycles as Ligands for Actinides and Lanthanides" J. Alloys Compd. 2006, 418, 171-177.

    Veauthier, J. M.; Tomat, E.; Lynch, V. M.; Sessler, J. L.; Mirsaidov, U.; Markert, J. T. "Calix[4]pyrrole Schiff-base Macrocycles. Novel Binucleating Ligands for Cu(I) and Cu(II)" Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44, 6736-6743.

    Sessler, J. L.; Tomat, E.; Mody, T. D.; Lynch, V. L.; Veauthier, J. M.; Mirsaidov, U.; Markert, J. T. "A Schiff Base Expanded Porphyrin Macrocycle that Acts as a Versatile Binucleating Ligand for Late First-Row Transition Metals" Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44, 2125-2127.


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