Matty Zincone: Searching for the medicinal secrets in bitter melon

Master’s degree researcher Matty Zincone is in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Tech. Photo courtesy of Matty Zincone.

This piece was written in the spring of 2026 by GRAD 5144 (Communicating Science) student Omolara Bakare as part of an assignment to interview a classmate and write a news story about their research.

Bitter melon is a traditional remedy for parasitic diseases. But what is it about the plant that fights the parasite?

That’s what Virginia Tech master’s degree student Matty Zincone wants to help determine.

A keen interest in science that began in high school led Zincone to attend Virginia Tech for his undergraduate degree, majoring in environmental science. While many students find chemistry intimidating, he discovered a fascination for it after just one semester and decided to switch his major to chemistry.

Throughout his undergraduate program, Zincone made excellent use of his time. Although undergraduates are typically not required to have an advisor or complete a specific project before graduating, he says, he took the initiative to work with one of his professors in her lab. This experience allowed him to acquire additional skills and learn essential tools related to his interests.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Zincone received what he saw as an incredible opportunity: a one-year master's program where he could work with the same faculty researcher. This was possible, he says, because he had already gained valuable skills while working in her lab during his undergraduate studies.

His research focuses on chemical biology, specifically studying how plants — particularly bitter melon — can be used in medicine. People have long recognized the medicinal properties of bitter melon; what isn’t known is the chemistry-level explanation for its anti-parasitic activity. Traditionally, it has been consumed by grinding the leaves, mixing the crushed leaves with water, and drinking it. However, using it without proper control and prescription can be harmful, Zincone warns.

a photo of a green, oblong vegetable in the foreground with rough, bumpy skin, hanging from a vine or branch with green leaves in the background — The bitter melon plant has antiparasitic properties and has been used for medicinal purposes. Photo courtesy of Eric Yuen.

Zincone’s work aims to study the antiparasitic properties of bitter melon and explore its potential for integration into prescribed medications. To conduct this research, he works with collaborators at George Washington University to obtain bitter melon leaves. He prepares them by grinding them in a traditional manner, using a pestle and mortar, and then extracts the compounds by soaking the ground leaves in acetone. After the extraction, he retains the liquid and disposes of the solid material. He then pours the resulting green liquid into a small vial and sets the vial in a machine that analyses its properties.

The extracted liquid contains numerous compounds, Zincone explains, and he works to identify the specific compounds of interest — those with promising antiparasitic properties — through simultaneous measurements of ultraviolet wavelengths and mass using an instrument called a mass spectrometer and another detection process called high performance liquid chromatography. Once the right compound is isolated, one that they know has antiparasitic activity, they plan to confirm its structure using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. This will help them continue working toward characterizing and identifying the active antiparasitic compound and developing its potential medical applications with their George Washington University collaborators.