Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Faculty

James Fuchs

Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies

The research in Dr. Fuchs' lab focuses on the design and preparation of bioactive molecules for therapeutic applications against cancer and infectious diseases. His lab utilizes fundamental chemical knowledge and synthetic methodology to facilitate the process of drug discovery and development through the generation of biological probe molecules, the synthesis and modification of lead compounds, and the optimization of drug properties. The overarching goals of these studies are to understand the mechanisms through which small molecules interact with proteins or other biomolecules in the context of disease progression and to improve the potential utility of promising new compounds to help them advance toward the clinic. Recently, the Fuchs lab has collaborated with numerous labs in the areas of natural product drug development for various cancers, the preparation of protein degraders active against leukemia, and HIV-1 capsid and integrase drug development.
Other research areas: Cancer, Infectious Diseases, Chemical Synthesis, Natural Products, Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy
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James Fuchs

Kwangwoon “Jon” Lee, PhD

Assistant Professor

The Chromatin Design Lab develops engineered proteins and biosensors to study chromatin regulation and transcriptional control. We aim to create custom molecular tools, including mutant-selective binders and sensors that recognize specific combinations of post-translational modifications. These approaches will be used to investigate how histone modifications and transcription factors regulate gene expression, and to design new strategies for targeting diseased epigenetic regulation.
Other research areas: Chemical Biology, Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy
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Kwangwoon “Jon” Lee

Blake R. Peterson, PhD

Chair of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy

Dr. Peterson’s research group works to design, synthesize, and discover small molecules that affect the proliferation of cancer cells and associated immune cells that support malignancy. To identify these compounds, the Peterson laboratory synthesizes fluorescent molecular probes as tools for drug discovery. These probes are used to create target-based or phenotypic drug discovery assays to identify anticancer agents with novel mechanisms of action. To optimize and evaluate these compounds, they use synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology approaches. In conjunction with high throughput screening by confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and other related techniques, his laboratory identifies chemical probes of biological systems, uncovers mechanisms of biologically active agents, and discovers hit and lead compounds for the development of therapeutics.
Other research areas: Cancer, Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, Chemical Biology, Chemical Synthesis
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Blake R. Peterson