Alexander H. Pearse, Ph.D.

Alexander H. Pearse, Ph.D., is a technical specialist in Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Group, where he assists in preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications. Alexander’s background and technical areas of expertise include bioinorganic and bioorganic chemistry with a focus on synthetic nucleotide nanostructures.

Alexander received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University. His graduate research focused on synthesis of metal binding peptide nucleic acid (PNA) monomers selective for Cu(II) ions and their incorporation within PNA oligonucleotides that form 1D nanostructures. These structures assemble by classical Watson and Crick hybridization and by Cu(II) metal complexation. 1D nanostructures of this capacity are relevant to the fields of molecular conductance and electronics. Alexander also synthesized PNA oligonucleotides and peptide-PNA hybrids selective for biologically relevant targets. These ranged from oligomers selective for oxidized guanine bases in G Quadruplex DNA secondary structures, mitochondrial penetrating hybrids for potential treatments of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), and sequences for lowering toxicity within chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies.

Before starting graduate school, Alexander received his B.S. in chemistry from Brigham Young University. While there he investigated chromatographic methods utilizing laser spectroscopy. His studies focused on analyzing surface interactions between octadecylsilane and cyclic aromatics using second harmonic generation spectroscopy. Alexander also explored methods for ultra-low dead volume HPLC detectors via fluorescence spectroscopy.