College of Pharmacy

Drug Discovery

The Drug Discovery research team is interested in bioorganic and natural product chemistry (Fred Stevens, Richard Van Breemen); biosynthesis of microbial secondary metabolites (Taifo Mahmud, BJ Philmus); and work at the interface of molecular genetics, enzymology, and chemistry (Phil Proteau, Kerry McPhail) toward the goal of creating and developing novel, pharmaceutically active compounds that are useful in the treatment of infectious disease (Aleksandra Sikora) and cancer (Jane Ishmael, Arup Indra). Structurally complex natural products are being isolated from diverse biological organisms living in marine and terrestrial ecosystems all over the world.

Gene Regulation and Disease

The Gene Regulation & Disease research team is studying the mechanistic basis for control of gene expression by transcriptional regulatory proteins in developmental (Chrissa Kioussi) and pathological contexts (Theresa Filtz, Kevin Brown); skin cancer (Arup Indra), skin repair (Gitali Indra) and brain tumors (Jane Ishmael); diabetes and obesity (Andrey Morgun); and neurological disorders (Maude David). These studies require a multidisciplinary approach involving the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, epigenetics, and molecular, systems, network, and genetics.

Targeted Drug Delivery

The Targeted Drug Delivery research team is developing novel intelligent nanoparticle-based systems (Adam Alani, Oleh Taratula); phototherapy and heat (Olena Taratula), modified messenger RNA for treatment of neuro-degenerative disorders and cancer immunotherapy (Gaurav Sahay); and combination of radiation and chemotherapy (Conroy Sun). The nanoparticle-based delivery systems are designed to silence key, cancer-driving genes in the tumors as well as directly induce tumor cell death within the tumor mass.