+27 (0)21 650 2531
  6.04, PD Hahn building, upper campus

 

Research Interests

My research interests centre largely on metal–ion speciation in biofluids with particular emphasis on blood plasma and natural waters. My broad research interests may be subdivided into the following:

Bioinorganic Chemistry:

Potentiometric study of complexes formed between metal–ions and small biological molecules; use of thermodynamic data to construct computer models of biological systems, and to study perturbations caused by the introduction of chelating agents into these systems.

Drug Design:

Design, synthesis and study of metal complexes for use against several pathological states, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease.

Medical Imaging:

Design and synthesis of contrast agents for use in whole body MRI and gammaray scintigraphy.

Solution Structure of Neuropeptides:

In collaboration with the department of Zoology, NMR is being used, together with molecular modelling, to determine the structure of neuropeptides. The neuropeptides of interest are insect adipokinetic hormones and it is hoped that from a knowledge of the structure of the peptide a structure activity relationship can be developed. Alternately this could lead to new, species specific, insecticides.

Computer model of Emulsion Coalescence:

Emulsions are widely used in industry and nature. Thus margarine is an emulsion of water–in–oil. Using a knowledge of the physics of coalescence a computer model is being developed which can predict the stability of different emulsion formulations.

 

 

Tissue distribution of Sm–edtmp which is used for pain palliation in bone cancer patients.

Representative Publications

  1. Metal-ion speciation in blood plasma incorporating the bisphosphonate, 10-hydroxy-4-aminopropylidene- diphosphonate (APD), in therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. J. R. Zeevaart, N. V. Jarvis, W. K. A. Louw, G. E. Jackson, I. Cukrowski, C. J. Mouton. J. Inorg. Biochem., 1999, 73, 265.
  2. Trace metal excretion in patients with homozygous hypercholesterolaemia. G. E. Jackson, R. Blewett, A. Rodgers, L. Wood, P. Jacobs. J. Trace Elements Med. And Biol., 1999, 13, 62.
  3. A potentiometric and spectroscopic study of copper(II) diaminodiamido complexes. G. E. Jackson, P. W. Linder, A. Voye. J. Chem. Soc. Dalton., 1996, 4605.
  4. Metal-ion Speciation in Blood Plasma: Case of Gallium-67 citrate and MRI contrast Agents. G. E. Jackson, M. J. Byrne. J. Nucl. Med., 1996, 37, 379-386.
  5. Solution conformations of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and [Gln8]GnRH. J. C. Maliekal, G. E. Jackson, C. A. Flanagan, R. P. Millar. S. Afr. J. Chem., 1997, 50, 217.