Andrew Bonham

Back to Faculty & Staff Directory Back to Department Page
Placeholder Faculty Staff Image
How to edit profiles >

Andrew Bonham

Chair and Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Biography

Andrew J. Bonham, PhD, is a Professor and Department Chair at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. His research focuses on the understanding and application of nucleic acid-based biosensors for medical and environmental diagnostics. He also develops python-based bio-informatics software to understand and predict aptamer folding and genomic epigenetic methylation patterns. He is a member of the American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the American Chemical Society. He is a Denver-native, excited to continue his dream of teaching biochemistry, raising scientific awareness, and advancing research.

Research Interests

    Electrochemical DNA-based (E-DNA) biosensor development for early cancer and disease diagnosis and monitoring, novel spectroscopic investigations of gene regulation and protein-binding events; the role of allelic epigenetic modification in development and disease.

Teaching Interests

    Biochemistry, advanced biochemistry, biochemistry lab, organic and biological chemistry, nutrition chemistry, the chemistry of everyday life, chemistry of cooking.

Education

PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

University of California, Santa Barbara

BA in Biochemistry, Chemistry

University of Colorado, Boulder

Personal Website

https://BonhamLab.com

Published Works

    Batchelor, H. R., Kaiyum, A. Y., Chao, H. E., Tenorio, N., Ofori, C., Bird, A. S., Brand, E. H., Auckett, E. J., Karouei, H. M., Richardson, K., Vlcek, V., Johnson, E. P., Gooding, J. J., Bonham, J. A. (2025). The Butterfly Structure of Leucomethylene Blue Results in Weak Binding to Single- or Double-Stranded DNA. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 129(47), 12110-12119. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.5c05704. Batchelor, H. R., Dief, M. E., Bonham, J. A., Gooding, J. J. (2025). A Review of Methylene Blue’s Interactions with DNA and Their Relevance for DNA-Based Sensors. ACS Sensorshttps://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.5c00336. Silver, K., Smith, A., Colling, V. H., Tenorio, N., Rowland, J. T., Bonham, J. A. (2024). Electrochemical Aptamer-Based Biosensor for Detecting Pap31, a Biomarker for Carrion’s Disease. MDPI Sensors, 24(22), 7295. https://doi.org/10.3390/s24227295. Quansah, M., Fetter, L., Fineran, A., Colling, V. H., Silver, K., Rowland, J. T., Bonham, J. A. (2023). Rapid and Quantitative Detection of Lung Cancer Biomarker ENOX2 Using a Novel Aptamer in an Electrochemical DNA-Based (E-DNA) Biosensor. MDPI Biosensors, 13(7), 675. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13070675. Barnes, M. A., Holmstoen, B. T., Bonham, J. A., Rowland, J. T. (2022). Differentiating Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Cardiomyocytes Using Purified Extracellular Matrix Proteins. MDPI Bioengineering, 9(12), 720. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9120720. Nguyen, B. A., Maldonado., Poch, D., Sodia, T., Smith, A., Rowland, J. T., Bonham, J. A. (2021). Electrochemical DNA Biosensor That Detects Early Celiac Disease Autoantibodies. Sensorshttps://doi.org/10.3390/s21082671. Bulow, A., Stephens, J., Haider, A., Kazal, D., Rowland, J. T., White, R., Bonham, J. A. . Automating the design of structure-switching aptamer biosensors. . Rowland, J. T., Bonham, J. A., Cech, R. T. (2020). Allele‐specific proximal promoter hypomethylation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) associates with TERT expression in multiple cancers. Molecular Oncologyhttps://doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.12786. Pena, B., Maldonado, M., Bonham, J. A., Ramon, A. N., Dominguez-Alfaro, A., Rowland, J. T., Laughter, M., Bardil, J., Shandas, R., Buttrick, P., Mckinsey, T., Mestroni, L., Park, D. (2019). A Gold Nanoparticle Functionalized Reverse Thermal Gel for Tissue Engineering Applications. . Tran, T., Bonham, J. A., Chan, D. E., Honda, R. J. (2019). A paucity of knowledge regarding nontuberculous mycobacterial glycolipids compared to the tubercle bacillus. Frontiers in Microbiology. Bonham, J. A., Ragan, J. E., Drotar, M. A., Elkins, M. K., Filbin, E. M. (2017). Biochemistry Laboratory Manual CHE 4350. MSU Denver Department of Chemistry, Daniel, J., Fetter, L., Jett, S., Rowland, J. T., Bonham, J. A. (2017). Electrochemical Aptamer Scaffold Biosensors for Detection of Botulism and Ricin Proteins. (). Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6958-6_2 Jett, E. S., Bonham, J. A. (2017). Reusable E-DNA Biosensor for the Detection of Water-borne Uranium. ChemElectroChemhttps://doi.org/10.1002/celc.201600617. Walker, D. R., Bonham, J. A., London, M. J. (2016). NSF S-STEM Program Changes Student Outcomes and Departmental Culture. , Fetter, L., Richards, J., Daniel, J., Roon, L., Rowland, J. T., Bonham, J. A. (2015). Electrochemical Aptamer Scaffold Biosensors for Detection of Botulism and Ricin Toxins. Chemical Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1039/C5CC05933J. Schaffner, S., Norquest, K., Baravik, E., Stephens, J., Fetter, L., Masterson, M. R., Reyna, Y., Bonham, J. A. (2014). Conformational Design Optimization of Transcription Factor Beacon DNA Biosensors. Sensing and Bio-Sensing Researchhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbsr.2014.10.007. Ferguson, S. B., Hoggarth, A. D., Maliniak, D., Ploense, K., White, J. R., Woodward, N., Hsieh, K., Bonham, J. A., Eisenstein, M., Kippin, E. T., Plaxco, W. K., Soh, T. H. (2013). Real-Time, Aptamer-Based Tracking of Circulating Therapeutic Agents in Living Animals. Science Translational Medicine, 5(213), 213ra165. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3007095. Bonham, J. A., Padman, G. N., Ricci, F., Plaxco, W. K. (2013). Detection of IP-10 protein marker in undiluted blood serum via an electrochemical E-DNA scaffold sensor. Analystdx.doi.org/10.1039/c3an01079a. Bonham, J. A., Wenta, N., Osslund, M. L., Prussin II, J. A., Vinkemeier, U., Reich, O. N. (2012). STAT1:DNA sequence-dependent binding modulation by phosphorylation, protein:protein interactions and small-molecule inhibition. Nucleic Acids Research, 41(2), 754-763. http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/2/754. Bonham, J. A., Hsieh, K., Ferguson, B., Vallee-Belisle, A., Ricci, F., Soh, H., Plaxco, W. K. (2012). Quantification of Transcription Factor Binding in Cell Extracts Using an Electrochemical, Structure-Switching Biosensor. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134(7), 3346–3348. pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja2115663. Rowe, A. A., Bonham, J. A., White, J. R., Zimmer, P. M., Yadgar, J. R., Hobza, M. T., Honea, W. J., Ben-Yaacov, I., Plaxco, W. K. (2011). CheapStat: An Open-Source, “Do-It-Yourself” Potentiostat for Analytical and Educational Applications. PLoS ONE, 6(9), e23783. dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0023783. Bonham, J. A., Vallee-Belisle, A., Reich, O. N., Ricci, F., Plaxco, W. K. (2011). Transcription Factor Beacons for the Quantitative Detection of DNA Binding Activity. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 133(35), 13836–13839. pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja204775k. Rowe, A. A., White, J. R., Bonham, J. A., Plaxco, W. K. (2011). Fabrication of Electrochemical-DNA Biosensors for the Reagentless Detection of Nucleic Acids, Proteins and Small Molecules. Journal of Visualized Experiments, 522922. www.jove.com/details.php?id=2922. Bonham, J. A. (2010). Novel optical techniques for exploring the DNA binding affinity and specificity of eukaryotic transcription factors and transcription factor complexes. . proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2031660581&Fmt=2&RQT=309&cfc=1 Neumann, T., Bonham, J. A., Dame, G., Berchtold, B., Brandstetter, T., Ruhe, J. (2010). Temperature and Time-Resolved Total Internal Reflectance Fluorescence Analysis of Reusable DNA Hydrogel Chips. Analytical Chemistry, 82(14), 6124–6131. pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac1008578. Rowland, J. T., Miller, M. L., Blaschke, J. A., Doss, E., Bonham, J. A., Hikita, S., Johnson, V. L., Clegg, O. D. (2009). Roles of Integrins in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Growth on Matrigel and Vitronectin. Stem Cells and Development, 19(8), 1231-1240. online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/scd.2009.0328. Bonham, J. A., Neumann, T., Tirrell, M., Reich, O. N. (2009). Tracking transcription factor complexes on DNA using total internal reflectance fluorescence protein binding microarrays. Nucleic Acids Research, 37(13), e94. nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/13/e94.short. Ricci, F., Bonham, J. A., Mason, C. A., Reich, O. N., Plaxco, W. K. (2009). Reagentless, Electrochemical Approach for the Specific Detection of Double- and Single-Stranded DNA Binding Proteins. Analytical Chemistry, 81(4), 1608–1614. pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac802365x. Bonham, J. A., Braun, G., Pavel, I., Moskovits, M., Reich, O. N. (2007). Detection of Sequence-Specific Protein-DNA Interactions via Surface Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 129(47), 14572–14573. pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja0767837.