معرفی
Luke Schembri serves as a Researcher at Uppsala University's Department of Medicinal Chemistry within the Drug Design and Discovery division. His primary focus involves developing novel matrices for MALDI mass spectrometry to enhance detection sensitivity for small molecules, alongside advancing palladium-catalyzed carbonylation techniques for pharmaceutical applications.
His educational background includes:
- Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences (with Honours) from Monash University Parkville (2011)
- PhD in Medicinal Chemistry under Associate Professor Bim Graham and Professor Peter Scammells at Monash University (2012-2016), specializing in fluorescent opiate ligand synthesis
Schembri's research spans Medicinal Chemistry, Organic Synthesis, and Chemistry Education. He pioneered hydrazide-based reactive matrices for aldehyde/ketone detection in MALDI imaging and developed base-free diazomethane generation methods. His work integrates chemical derivatization techniques for comprehensive brain metabolite mapping, particularly targeting carboxyl and aldehyde groups in neurological disorders. Current projects emphasize selective matrix design for neurotransmitter analysis and palladium-catalyzed bioisostere development.
Publication trends reveal a strategic shift from early palladium-catalyzed carbonylation work (2017-2019) toward advanced MALDI imaging applications (2021-2024). Recent articles focus on in situ chemical derivatization for brain metabolite mapping and reactive matrix engineering, demonstrating consistent innovation in analytical method development for neuropharmacology and drug discovery.
Schembri actively mentors master's students in Uppsala University's Fördjupningsprojekt i organisk farmaceutisk kemi course, providing hands-on laboratory guidance. He collaborates with Dr. Elizabeth Yuriev on chemistry education research examining student metacognition and study habits, while maintaining industry partnerships for method validation in pharmaceutical analysis.
He operates within Uppsala's Drug Design and Discovery research group under Associate Professor Luke Odell, utilizing the Biomedicinskt Centrum (BMC) facilities. Current projects involve MALDI-MS imaging optimization for neurotransmitter systems and developing carbonylative coupling protocols for acylsulfonamide bioisosteres, with ongoing work targeting L-DOPA dysregulation mechanisms in Parkinson's disease models.
