Photo of Alessandra S. Eustaquio

Alessandra S. Eustaquio


Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Email:

ase@uic.edu

Related Sites:

Teaching and Supervision Heading link

PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 8/26/2024 – 12/6/2024
Doctoral Research in Pharmacog (PMPG 599), 8/26/2024 – 12/6/2024
Doctoral Research in Pharmacog (PMPG 599), 6/10/2024 – 8/2/2024
Advanced Pharmacognosy (PSCI 522), 1/9/2024 – Present
Doctoral Research in Pharmacog (PMPG 599), 1/8/2024 – 4/26/2024
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 1/8/2024 – 4/26/2024
Special Topics Pharm Sci (PSCI 594), 1/8/2024 – 4/26/2024
Biomedicinal Chemistry (Phar 423), 1/8/2024 – Present
Research Techniques in Pharmacognosy (PSCI 520), 8/21/2023 – Present

Selected Grants

Synthetic Biology for Splice Modulating Polyketides, Varigen., 7/1/2024 - 7/1/2025, Obligated Amount: $49500; Anticipated Amount: $49500

Determining the mechanism and impact of streptococcal RaS-RiPPs on the human oral microbiome, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)., 8/1/2023 - 7/31/2025, Obligated Amount: $111701; Anticipated Amount: $223402

Marine sponge depsipeptides to minimize antibiotic collateral damage, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)., 5/19/2023 - 4/30/2025, Obligated Amount: $439725; Anticipated Amount: $439725

CAREER: Epigenetics of Synthetic Biology, National Science Foundation., 4/1/2023 - 3/31/2028, Obligated Amount: $407742; Anticipated Amount: $679570

Discovery of a pigment produced by Streptococcus pyogenes, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)., 3/1/2023 - 2/28/2025, Obligated Amount: $423776; Anticipated Amount: $423776

CCTS KL2 CATS Scholar, NIH CCTS KL2 institutional grant., 6/1/2021 - 5/31/2019, No Obligated Amount Set; No Anticipated Amount Set

★ Development of a bacterial host for natural product discovery and production, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)., 9/20/2020 - 6/30/2025, Obligated Amount: $1532645; Anticipated Amount: $1532645

★ Discovery of Anticancer Agents of Diverse Natural Origin, Ohio State University., 5/15/2020 - 4/30/2025, Obligated Amount: $1654949; Anticipated Amount: $1654949

★ Role of a conserved gene cluster family in promoting motility behavior in proteobacteria and in mediating host interactions, National Science Foundation., 8/15/2019 - 7/31/2024, Obligated Amount: $546571; Anticipated Amount: $546571

Hans Vahlteich Research Scholar., 1/1/2016 - Present, No Obligated Amount Set; No Anticipated Amount Set

Selected Publications

★ Kornfuehrer, Taylor, Romanowski, Sean, de Crécy‐Lagard, Valérie, Hanson, Andrew D, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2020). An Enzyme Containing the Conserved Domain of Unknown Function DUF62 Acts as a Stereoselective (Rs,Sc)‐S‐Adenosylmethionine Hydrolase. ChemBioChem, 21, (24), 3495-3499. doi:10.1002/cbic.202000349.

★ Romanowski, Sean, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2020). Synthetic biology for natural product drug production and engineering. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 58, 137-145. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.09.006.

★ Crnkovic, Camila M, Braesel, Jana, Krunic, Aleksej, Eustáquio, Alessandra S, Orjala, Jimmy. (2020). Scytodecamide from the Cultured Scytonema sp. UIC 10036 Expands the Chemical and Genetic Diversity of Cyanobactins. ChemBioChem, 21, (6), 845-852. doi:10.1002/cbic.201900511.

★ Kunakom, Sylvia, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2020). Heterologous Production of Lasso Peptide Capistruin in a Burkholderia Host. ACS Synthetic Biology, 9, (2), 241-248. doi:10.1021/acssynbio.9b00438.

★ Braesel, Jana, Tran, Tuan Anh, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2019). Heterologous expression of the diazaquinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 46, (9-10), 1359-1364. doi:10.1007/s10295-019-02187-1.

★ Kornfuehrer, Taylor, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2019). Diversification of polyketide structures via synthase engineering. RSC Medicinal Chemistry, 10, (8), 1256-1272. doi:10.1039/c9md00141g.

★ Kunakom, Sylvia, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2019). Burkholderia as a Source of Natural Products. Journal of Natural Products, 82, (7), 2018-2037. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b01068.

★ Kunakom, Sylvia, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2019). Natural Products and Synthetic Biology: Where We Are and Where We Need To Go. mSystems, 4, (3), 10.1128/msystems.00113-10.1128/msystems.00119. doi:10.1128/msystems.00113-19.

★ Braesel, Jana, Clark, Chase M, Kunstman, Kevin J, Green, Stefan J, Maienschein-Cline, Mark, Murphy, Brian T, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2019). Genome Sequence of Marine-Derived Streptomyces sp. Strain F001, a Producer of Akashin A and Diazaquinomycins. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 8, (19), 10.1128/mra.00165-10.1128/mra.00119. doi:10.1128/mra.00165-19.

★ Braesel, Jana, Lee, Jung-Ho, Arnould, Benoit, Murphy, Brian T, Eustáquio, Alessandra S. (2019). Diazaquinomycin Biosynthetic Gene Clusters from Marine and Freshwater Actinomycetes. Journal of Natural Products, 82, (4), 937-946. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b01028.

Professional Leadership

American Society of Pharmacognosy auditing committee, 6/1/2020 - Present

ASP Broadening the Reviewer Pool Task Force, 6/1/2020 - Present

National Science Foundation - Scientific Review Committee, National Science Foundation, 2018 - 2019

National Institutes of Health review panel – Synthetic and Biological Chemistry B (SBCB) Study section, National Institutes of Health, 6/2017 - Present

American Society of Pharmacognosy Auditing Committee, American Society of Pharmacognosy, 2016 - Present

Notable Honors

2017, Clinical and Translational Sciences Scholar, University of Illinois at Chicago

2016, Hans W. Vahlteich Research Scholar Award, University of Illinois at Chicago

2014, Star Award, Sustainable Science Category, Pfizer (United States)

2012, Green Chemistry Award, Pfizer (United States)

2011, Individual Performance Awards, Pfizer (United States)

2006, Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, Life Sciences Research Foundation

2005, PhD Prize for Best Dissertation, University of Tübingen

2004, Publication Award, German Pharmaceutical Society

1999, Valedictorian, University of Sao Paulo

1998, Undergraduate Research Training Fellowship, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development

Education

Degrees:
Ph.D., University of Tübingen, Germany, 2004
B.Sc., University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1999

Postgraduate Training:
Postdoctoral Researcher - Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow, University of California, San Diego, United States, 2009

Selected Presentations

Eustaquio, Alessandra S. (2024 March 25). Burkholderiales bacteria genome mining and heterologous host development. Annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology DiscoverBMB. San Antonio, TX.
Eustaquio, Alessandra S. (2023 August 01). Development of an alternative bacterial host for natural product discovery. Gordon Research Conference on Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds. Andover, NH.
Eustaquio, Alessandra S. (2023 January 10). Burkholderia bacteria as a source of natural products. 4th International Conference on Natural Product Discovery and Development in the Genomic Era.