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Mrs. Codruta Popescu (Paraschivescu)

PhD

Lecturer - UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI

Researcher | Teaching staff

Dr. Codruța POPESCU (former name Paraschivescu) research activity is mainly focused on strategies for synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. Following her PhD thesis, she worked in the field of heterocycle synthesis as luminescent materials, dual luminescent-paramagnetic probes etc, bis-Nacylhydrazones as switchable molecules, acyloxymethylketones as inhibitors of cysteine proteases or bifunctional chelating ligands aimed for preparation of new solid matrices useful in affinity chromatography for proteins purification. Her research career developed as a consequence of involvement in 10 national, very diverse research projects . Most of the projects had a multi- and interdisciplinary character, combining organic chemistry with biochemistry, molecular biology or physical chemistry. She has authored 38 publications. She will perform organic synthesis and will be in charge in several activities regarding optimisation of the reaction conditions and development of synthetic methodology.

Web of Science ResearcherID: AAY-9594-2020

Expertise & keywords

Synthetic Methodology For Large Scale Benfotiamine Production Call name: P 2 - SP 2.1 - Proiect experimental - demonstrativ
PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2021-2529 2022 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO); MICROSIN SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: http://www.bensynth.unibuc.ro

Abstract:

Benfotiamine is a synthetic prodrug, analogue of thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, essential for good quality of life. It is available solely or as supplementary diets in treatment of neurological and diabeted-related diseases, as the active ingredient of many drugs available on the international market, such as Milgamma, Neurossen, Benfogama. To date, in spite of major market interest and due to lack of expertise and documentation of the technological process, there is no producer of benfotiamine in Romania. Production of benfotiamine would give access to other finished drug producers to the active ingredient, with the clear benefit of a better presence in the national and European market. A well-known issue in the field is the acute shortage of different medicines in the market for various reasons, most prominent of which is the scarcity of producers around the globe. Although this issue has been apparent in the last decade, COVID-19 crisis put the spotlight on Europe’s inability to quickly manufacture active ingredients and other supplies in dire need for a medical emergency. The need of a national producer, as well as for developing extended production capabilities and know-how is clear: it prevents market-shortage in case of any event with a current manufacturer. In this context, Microsin, the only Romanian company specialized in the organic synthesis of active ingredients for medicines, and the University of Bucharest conjugated their efforts and, through the BENSYNTH project, will develop a chemical synthetic methodology for large scale benfotiamine synthesis, the exact goal of this call. The methodology developed through BENSYNTH will be validated in the laboratory (TRL3) and further applied at the industrial scale (TRL4/TRL5) by Microsin. The collaborative efforts involve a top higher education and research institution and a private company, having as secondary aim strengthening of the relationship between education, research and industry.

Exploring fluorescent organic ligands as functional ion sensors Call name: Projects for Young Research Teams - RUTE -2014 call
PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0808 2015 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://orgsense.mihaelamatache.ro

Abstract:

Discovery of new functional materials with enhanced optoelectronic properties or able to host small-molecules of great interest has been largely investigated during the past decades. Organic-inorganic hybrids are valuable candidates for construction of such functional materials and design and synthesis of organic compounds able to lead in combination with metal-ions to new materials represent a cutting-edge research of the 21st century. In an attempt to combine the principles of the hydrazone-based Dynamic Covalent Chemistry (DCC) as an efficient tool for identification of synthetic receptors and the remarkable photophysical properties of the 1,3,4-oxadiazoles (which are efficiently achieved by oxidative cyclisation of N-acylhydrazones under mild condition using hypervalent iodine reagents) the project proposes synthesis of novel organic compounds able to act as receptors for metal-ions and/or organic small-molecules and/or bearing fluorescent/phosphorescent properties. The photophysical properties of the synthesized cyclic/acyclic hydrazone based compounds and heterocycles as well as their complexes with metal-ions/organic small-molecules shall also be explored.

Identification of new modulators of calcium-regulated processes using genomic and chemogenomic screens in yeast Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0291 2014 - 2017

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO); INSTITUTUL DE BIOCHIMIE (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE- DEZVOLTARE PENTRU MICROTEHNOLOGIE - IMT BUCURESTI INCD (RO); APEL LASER S.R.L. (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://www.calchemgen.ro/

Abstract:

Calcium ions are used by virtually all eukaryotic cells to signal information about the environment and the physiological state of the cell, or to regulate various cellular processes such as initiation of gene expression, alterations in cell shape, membrane fusion, or programmed cell death. Excessive or unregulated levels of calcium induce a variety of drastic defects, such as uncontrolled cell proliferation, aberrant cell morphology, or cell death, leading to disruption of normal metabolism and initiation of various diseases. The versatility of calcium-mediated regulation of key physiological processes requires extensive research to identify the interplay between calcium signaling, mechanisms of diseases and discovery of new drugs.

The aim of this project is to utilize Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells to unravel new insights into the calcium-regulated cell mechanisms and to investigate the applicability of in house newly-synthesized chemicals as novel therapeutic and imaging agents, selected through interactions with the calcium-dependent pathway components. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a unicellular eukaryotic organism extensively used for the study of conserved processes and for getting information that can be further extrapolated to complex organisms like humans. The current proposal was initiated by highly-promising preliminary results obtained in the laboratories of the coordinating group. These results are based on novel and spectacular cell modifications which mimic aberrations in fundamental processes such as cell shape, cell polarity, and cell proliferation, representing the center of a complex network of research which will be established by the project.

The project will imply systemic investigations such as genomic profilings paralleled by chemo-genomic screens designed to identify new interactions between small molecules and calcium-related biologic processes. The proposed work will provide an unprecedented coverage on structure-function information, facilitating the analysis of synergistic and antagonistic interactions between molecular components of calcium-related metabolism. The project is multidisciplinary, involving a plethora of aspects related to cell and molecular biology, genetics, chemical synthesis and analysis, high-throughput screening, bioinformatics and imaging.

This project will be carried out by a consortium of four partner groups with relevant research and innovation expertise: University of Bucharest (as coordinating organization, CO), Institute of Biochemistry of the Romanian Academy (Partner P1), National Institute of Research and Development for Microtechnology (Partner P2), and a small enterprise, Apel Laser (Partner P3). The consortium was established based on the state-of-the-art infrastructure already existent in the implementing institutions and on the strong complementarities between the research and market expertise of the partner groups.

Real-time imaging of the viral modules during Hepatitis C Virus assembly Call name: Projects for Young Research Teams - TE-2012 call
PN-II-RU-TE-2012-3-0471 2013 - 2016

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL DE BIOCHIMIE

Project partners: INSTITUTUL DE BIOCHIMIE (RO)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL DE BIOCHIMIE (RO)

Project website: http://www.hcvasmimage.com

Abstract:

HCV is a major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide. A better understanding of the HCV life cycle is needed to develop new treatments against this virus. A peculiarity of HCV is the crucial role played by both structural and non-structural proteins in the assembly process. Indeed, practically all HCV proteins have been shown to be involved in the virion assembly process. The present project aims to characterize the spatial and temporal relationship between all the viral proteins during viral assembly. We will use the HCV cell culture system and real-time imaging in living cells to visualize the dynamics of these proteins. In order to achieve this, suitable tags will be introduced in functional viruses and different subcellular structures will be labeled in stably modified cell lines. Furthermore, we intend to study the different assembly mutants which we have already characterised. This work will be essential to understand the mechanisms of synchronicity in HCV assembly process.

Multifunctional organic stable radicals in supramolecular high-spin architectures and materials Call name: Exploratory Research Projects - PCE-2011 call
PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0408 2011 - 2016

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: Universitatea din Bucuresti

Project partners: Universitatea din Bucuresti (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: http://www.chimie.unibuc.ro/cercetare/organica/PNII-ID-PCE-2011-3-0408/

Abstract:

New multifunctional organic stable free (poly)radicals of different types will be obtained and used as building blocks for supramolecular architectures and materials with high-spin properties. The synthesis of such radicals (organic spins) will be conducted in a way to achieve in the same molecule tailored moieties that can be involved in supramolecular bonds (H-bonds, pi-stacking, donor-acceptor, charge-transfer, etc.). Thus, the new compounds may contain aromatic-, polynitro-, urea-, amino-, carboxyl-, or macrocyclic crown ether moieties, which are well known to form supramolecular architectures. These multifunctional (poly)radicals will be used to build supramolecular assemblies through non-covalent bonds, resulting supramolecular systems that can act as high-spin materials, due to co-operative spin-spin interactions. Cucurbiturils, a category of macrocyclic compounds containing urea moieties, will be used to control the size and stability of the supramolecular architectures, tuning the spin-spin interactions. Different types of nanoparticles labelled with organic spins will be also obtained and involved in supramolecular architectures. Classical organic chemistry and analytical measurements will be used for the design and full characterization of the new compounds, as well for their supramolecular assemblies; (para)magnetic measurements will provide information about spin distribution, inter-spin distance and exchange, and magnetic behaviour.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects