Sallyport - The Magazine of Rice University - Winter 2002

Segura Secures Schlumberger Fellowship - Students
He gradually is zeroing in on the amino acids that produce the triterpene.
Once Segura finds the essential features, he will begin studying what new
and different reactions they can be manipulated to perform.
“You have to know what to change before you can change it,” he said.
“Right now I’m still trying to find out which parts are relevant to the
tinkering.”
Segura’s adviser, Seiichi Matsuda, is very enthusiastic about his future.
“Mike is extremely creative but also gets things done efficiently and with
great technical expertise,” said Matsuda, associate professor of chemistry
and biochemistry and cell biology. “This combination is rare and is the
reason that he is so productive. I am confident that he will succeed at any
level.”
Segura hopes that his research will eventually lead to a way to get yeast to
modify compounds to have new properties. Many natural products have
interesting biological activities but cannot be used for drugs because parts
of their structures cause undesired side effects. His work to develop new
ways to alter natural product structures might eventually lead to new drugs.
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