Michael D. Corbett, Ph.D.
Independent Consultant in Chemical Toxicology

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Principal Assignments at the University of Mississippi

     Undergraduate:
Pharmacognosy 425: Four semester hour course for fourth year pharmacy students on the chemistry, pharmacological actions and clinical uses of alkaloids and glycosides. Examples of such natural product drugs are morphine, cocaine, lysergic acid, reserpine, atropine, quinine, strychnine and digitalis. Laboratory experimentation included: "The Isolation and Analysis of Morphine Alkaloids from Pharmaceutical (U.S.P.) Opium" and "Botanical and Chemical Identification of Marijuana".

Pharmacognosy 426: Four semester hour course on the chemistry, biological actions and clinical uses of antibiotics and antitumor agents. Examples are the penicillin, cephalosporin and tetracycline families of antibiotics, streptomycin, erythromycin and chloramphenicol. An example of a valuable antitumor drug from natural sources is vincristine, which was a major breakthrough in the treatment of childhood leukemias. Additional topics included the principles of immunology and the use of immunizing biologicals.  Laboratory experimentation included: "The Production of Penicillin-G in Submerged Culture", "Solubility Properties of Pen-G Salts" and "The Investigation of Tetracycline Stabilty".

     Graduate:
Pharmacognosy 631: Three semester hour course on modern isolation and analytical techniques applied to organic chemistry and biochemistry. Emphasis on the theory and practice of chromatography, including ion exchange, gel permeation and affinity methods.

Pharmacognosy 632: Three semester hour course on structure elucidation by instrumental methods. Emphasis on the application of infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy to natural products.

Pharmacognosy 620: Special topics including Bioorganic Reaction Mechanisms, Chemical Toxicology and Metabolism, and Marine Natural Products.

Principal Assignments at the University of Miami

     Graduate:
Marine Organic Chemistry: Three semester hour course on the chemistry and biosynthesis of marine natural products; Chemical ecology; Organic chemical pollution of marine environments with emphasis on natural processes that effect the degradation of organic chemicals in the environment.

Principal Assignments at the University of Florida

     Graduate:
FSHN 6236 (Biochemical Toxicology): Three semester hour course on the application of chemistry and biochemistry to the field of toxicology. Emphasis on the mechanistic aspects of bioactivation and detoxification of genotoxic (mutagenic, carcinogenic) and necrotizing organic chemicals. Xenobiotic metabolism and covalent binding of reactive species to cellular nucleic acids and protein. The role of oxygen metabolism and free radicals in pathology and in xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity. Current theories in cancer causation by chemicals.

Lecture Assignments at the University of Nebraska Medical Center

     Graduate:
PHSC 688/888 (Concepts in Toxicology): Lectures in the areas of peroxidation/oxygen pathology and bioactivation mechanisms of xenobiotics.

PHSC 950 (Advanced Toxicology): Lectures in the area of reactive oxygen species as related to toxicology.

PHSC 875 (Chemical Carcinogenesis): Lectured on the arylamine group of carcinogens.

BIOC880 (Methods in Cancer Research): The role of metabolism in chemical carcinogenesis.

 


Home

Education & Professional Experience
Professional Affiliations
Research Contributions
List of Publicatons
Record of Grants & Contracts
Teaching Experience
Consulting Experience & Areas of Special Expertise