Natural products are specialized small molecules produced in nature and often possess a variety of biological activities that can be used toward improving our quality of life.  These molecules possess exquisite chemical diversity and are often an inspiration for the development of new pharmaceutical agents.

Our research focuses on the following:

1. Using microorganisms as resources for the discovery of new therapeutic agents
2. Elucidating the biosynthetic blueprint that nature uses for assembling natural products in bacteria and fungi
3. Manipulating and reprogramming biosynthetic systems for the generation of new chemical entities
4. Determining a natural product’s ecological role for the producing organism

Our research is interdisciplinary and provides an opportunity for students and postdocs to gain experience in natural product biosynthesis, natural product chemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, bioengineering, biochemistry, genomics, structural biology, and bioinformatics.

more >