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Chemical Biology

Chemistry professor David Thompson and his team are scaling up the first continuous manufacturing process for an anti-cancer agent. Also pictured are graduate students Jaron Mackey (left) and Ahmed Mufti (right).

Fundamental advances in chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology have provided unprecedented opportunities to probe living systems at a molecular level. These advances have led to the development of a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field - Chemical Biology. Within Chemical Biology groundbreaking chemical methodology may be applied to the elucidation of essential biological processes. Additionally, newly identified biological targets may drive the development of unique chemical entities.

Topics of current interest within Chemical Biology include:

  • Elucidating protein-protein interactions using synthetic probes

  • Combating antibiotic & multidrug resistance

  • Novel strategies for the development of antiviral agents

  • Developing new strategies for cancer chemotherapy

  • Developing new strategies for cell targeting and delivery

  • Manipulation of gene expression

  • Probing the cell cycle with synthetic agents

Our Faculty

Jean Chmielewski

Jean Chmielewski

  • Drug Discovery
  • Drug Delivery
  • BioMaterials
Gaurav Chopra

Gaurav Chopra

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Machine Learning
  • Drug Discovery
Bryon Drown

Bryon Drown

  • Chemical proteomics
  • Chemical tool synthesis
  • PTM crosstalk
Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton

  • Organic synthesis
  • Medicinal chemistry
  • Peptide chemistry
Philip S. Low

Philip S. Low

  • Immunotherapies for cancer
  • New therapies for autoimmune diseases
  • New therapies for infectious diseases
Andrew Mesecar

Andrew Mesecar

  • Structural biology
  • Enzyme kinetics
  • Molecular modeling
Elizabeth (Betsy) Parkinson

Elizabeth (Betsy) Parkinson

  • Natural product synthesis and biosynthesis
  • Biocatalysis
  • Medicinal chemistry
Kavita Shah

Kavita Shah

  • Molecular targets for Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Chemical Tools for Drug Discovery
  • Cancer Therapeutics
Herman Sintim

Herman Sintim

  • Multi-component synthesis
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Chemical Biology
Andy Tao

Andy Tao

  • Molecular signaling in cancer cells
  • Identification of biomarkers for cancer and AD
  • Chemical proteomics
David Thompson

David Thompson

  • Drug Delivery Materials
  • Elastin-like Polypeptides
  • Polyrotaxanes
  • Affinity Capture Templates for CryoEM
Alexander Wei

Alexander Wei

  • Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy
  • Designer dyes for chemical imaging
  • Sustainable hybrid thermoplastics
Jonathan Wilker

Jonathan Wilker

  • Biomimicry
  • Adhesives
  • Polymers
  • Sustainability