Chun-Tao Che
Harry H.S. Fong Professor of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy
Director, WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine
Contact
Address:
833 South Wood St, Chicago, Illinois
Office Phone:
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About
Research Interests:
Drug lead discovery from medicinal plants; Traditional Chinese medicine; Quality and standardization of botanical supplements
Teaching and Supervision
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38919), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
PDAT 2: GI/Endocrine (PHAR 39177), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38921), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38922), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
PhLAMES 8 (PHAR 41067), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Fundamentals of Drug Action II (PHAR 38920), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
PDAT 2: GI/Endocrine (PHAR 39178), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
PDAT 2: GI/Endocrine (PHAR 39179), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
PDAT 2: GI/Endocrine (PHAR 39180), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
Selected Grants
Medicinal Plants of Laos: Discoveries, Conservation, and Community Engagement: Phase II, California Community Foundation., 7/1/2019 - 6/30/2023, Obligated Amount: $219090; Anticipated Amount: $219090
Medicinal Plants of Laos: Discoveries, Conservation, and Community Engagement: Phase II, California Community Foundation., 7/1/2019 - 6/30/2023, Obligated Amount: $219090; Anticipated Amount: $219090
Defining the role of isoprenylated xanthones from the mangosteen for enhancing degradation of full length and variant forms of androgen receptor in prostate cancer, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 1/1/2019 - 12/31/2023, Obligated Amount: $1758062; Anticipated Amount: $1765131
Rosemary as a Food Preservative: Implications for Gastrointestinal Health, US Department of Agriculture (National Institute of Food and Agriculture)., 1/1/2017 - 4/14/2022, Obligated Amount: $470000; Anticipated Amount: $470000
California Community Foundation (CCF) Elina Vesara Ostern Fund, California Community Foundation., 7/1/2013 - 12/31/2014, Obligated Amount: $53804; Anticipated Amount: $53804
Technical Development of a Herb-based Topical Application for Psoriasis Treatment, Innovation and Technology Commission., 4/1/2007 - 9/30/2008, Obligated Amount: $140341; No Anticipated Amount Set
Selected Publications
Zhong, Yuxuan, Zhou, Junfei, Hu, Shanwei, Wang, Mengting, Liu, Jingyu, Du, Jicong, Duan, Jin-Ao, Bi, Hongkai, Zhao, Ming, Che, Chun-Tao. (2026). Prenylated dihydrostilbenoid derivatives from the aerial parts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and their potent antibacterial activity against drug-resistant clinical isolates. Phytochemistry, 247, 114838. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2026.114838.
Li, Xue-Yi, She, Jun-Feng, Lv, Qiu-Mei, Min, Li, Zhang, Shi-Qing, Shi, Lei, Huang, Xiao-Jun, Wang, Ying, Wang, Lei, Song, Jian-Guo, Che, Chun-Tao, Ye, Wen-Cai, Wu, Zhen-Long. (2026). Diarylheptanoid derivatives with α-synuclein aggregation inhibitory activities from the rhizome of Alpinia officinarum. Fitoterapia, 191, 107250. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2026.107250.
Jin, Chuanlin, Du, Jicong, Dai, Mengyu, Wang, Mengting, Zhong, Yuxuan, Wang, Jiahe, Onakpa, Monday M, Johnson, Oluwatosin O, Duan, Jin-Ao, Zhou, Junfei, Che, Chun-Tao, Zhao, Ming. (2026). Modified Cytotoxic Terpenoids from the Tuber of Icacina trichantha. Journal of Natural Products, 89, (5), 1566-1578. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6c00224.
Xu, Mingming, Di, Di, Wang, Mengting, Fan, Lu, Shang, Er-Xin, Onakpa, Monday M, Johnson, Oluwatosin O, Che, Chun-Tao, Zhou, Junfei, Duan, Jin-Ao, Zhao, Ming. (2026). Discovery of seco-(9β-H)-Pimarane Diterpenoids from Icacina oliviformis with Synergistic Anti-Colorectal Cancer Activity. Organic Letters, 28, (11), 3522-3529. doi:10.1021/acs.orglett.6c00495.
Xu, Mingming, Li, Binglei, Zhou, Junfei, Hang, Xudong, Jin, Chuanlin, Lu, Chujie, Lin, Wei, Wei, Xinyi, Shang, Er-Xin, Zeng, Liping, Onakpa, Monday M, Johnson, Oluwatosin O, Che, Chun-Tao, Duan, Jin-Ao, Bi, Hongkai, Zhao, Ming. (2025). Unprecedented ent-kaurane heterodimers from Icacina oliviformis: Potent anti-Helicobacter pylori leads targeting enoyl-ACP reductase FabI. Chinese Chemical Letters, 112289. doi:10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112289.
Warpeha, Katherine M, Nakum, Cimran, Najjar, Yahya, Gurgul, Aleksandra A, Che, Chun-Tao, Park, Thomas J. (2025). Extract from the seedlings of Brassica oleracea var. italica (Brassicaceae) reduces tissue damage and alters inflammatory markers over time: development of new medications. Phytochemistry Letters, 69, 103881. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2025.103881.
Oiseoghaede, Joseph O, Sowemimo, Abimbola A, Odukoya, Olukemi A, Onyekere, Peculiar F, Che, Chun-Tao. (2025). Sub-acute toxicity of ethanol extract of Motandra paniculata (Poir) I.M. Turner (Apocynaceae) leaves in rats and antiproliferative activity of its bioactive compounds. Pharmacological Research – Natural Products, 8, 100292. doi:10.1016/j.prenap.2025.100292.
Wei, Xinyi, Ma, Yingrun, Xu, Mingming, Heng, Ding, Onakpa, Monday M, Duan, Jin-Ao, Che, Chun-Tao, Bi, Hongkai, Zhou, Junfei, Zhao, Ming. (2025). Chemical constituents of the aerial parts of Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC (Rubiaceae). Natural Product Research, 39, (15), 4297-4303. doi:10.1080/14786419.2024.2337110.
Patel, Shirali, Revi, Neeraja, Chakravarty, Suridh, Gurgul, Aleksandra, Najjar, Yahya, Che, Chun-Tao, Warpeha, Katherine Mary, Bijukumar, Divya. (2025). Exosome as a stable carrier for anti-inflammatory phenylpropanoid metabolites: a proof-of-concept study. Biomedical Materials, 20, (4), 045023. doi:10.1088/1748-605x/ade7e3.
Professional Leadership
Hong Kong Poison Control Network, 2015 - 2024
Hong Kong Accreditation Service, 2014 - 2024
Education
Degrees:
B.S., The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1975
M.Phil., The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1977
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, United States, 1982
Postgraduate Training:
Postdoctoral Chemist, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Canada, 1983