Jimmy Orjala
Professor, College of Pharmacy
Director of Graduate Studies for Pharmacognosy graduate program, College of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Head for Research, University of Illinois at Chicago
Contact
Address:
900 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL
Office Phone:
Email:
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About
Research Interests:
1. Discovery, isolation, and structure elucidation of biological active metabolites from cultured cyanobacteria.
2. Application of sensitive analytical techniques to the structure elucidation and biological characterization of natural products.
Teaching and Supervision
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 45172), 1/12/2026 – 5/1/2026
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 8/25/2025 – 12/5/2025
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 6/16/2025 – 8/8/2025
PSCI 521 Structure Elucidation Nat Prod (PSCI 521), 1/13/2025 – 5/2/2029
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 8/26/2024 – 12/6/2024
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 6/10/2024 – 8/2/2024
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 1/8/2024 – 4/26/2024
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 8/21/2023 – 12/1/2023
Doctoral Research in Pharmacog (PMPG 599), 1/9/2023 – 4/28/2023
Selected Grants
Discovery Of Anticancer Agents Of Diverse Natural Origin, Ohio State University., 9/1/2025 - 8/31/2026, Obligated Amount: $367647.63; Anticipated Amount: $367647.63
★ Research Training in Natural Product Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)., 8/1/2024 - 7/31/2029, Obligated Amount: $501691; Anticipated Amount: $1217204
Gut Bacterial O-demethylation, Purdue University., 9/1/2022 - 8/31/2024, Obligated Amount: $48048; Anticipated Amount: $48048
Pregnane X receptor (PXR)-activating gut bacterial metabolites, Purdue University., 4/8/2022 - 3/31/2025, Obligated Amount: $110428; Anticipated Amount: $110428
★ Discovery of Anticancer Agents of Diverse Natural Origin, Ohio State University., 5/15/2020 - 8/31/2025, 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
Research Training in Natural Product Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)., 1/1/2019 - 7/31/2024, Obligated Amount: $1317731; Anticipated Amount: $2100520
Selected Publications
Tripathi, Ashutosh, Kyawt, Toe Ein, Shin, Jongoh, Won, Kyoung-jae, Armstrong, Abigail T, Ilktach, Giokdjen, Sullivan, Peter, Weilbaker, Holly A, Ko, Yeonju, Lee, Seongsoo, Lee, Wooin, Cooper, Bruce R, Cho, Byung-Kwan, Orjala, Jimmy, Lee, Hyunwoo, Jeong, Hyunyoung. (2026). Gut bacterial O-demethylation modulates systemic exposure to oral etoposide. Gut Microbes, 18, (1), 2628358. doi:10.1080/19490976.2026.2628358.
Mingolelli, Gabrielle, Bashatwah, Rasha M, Jurek, Megan J, Chauvin, Isabel M, Orjala, Jimmy, Riley, Andrew P, Burdette, Joanna E, Henke, Matthew T. (2026). The Human Gut Microbiome Metabolizes Diverse Bioactive Coumarins via α,β-Unsaturated Lactone Reduction. Journal of Natural Products, 89, (5), 1597-1609. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6c00329.
Chauvin, Isabel M, Davis, Lydia J, Krunic, Aleksej, Orjala, Jimmy. (2026). Discovery of Suomilide and Cyanopeptolin Analogues by 15N Stable Isotope Labeling and Genome Mining of Cyanobacteria. Journal of Natural Products, 89, (2), 573-583. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c01413.
Philmus, Benjamin, Avalon, Nicole E, Ding, Yousong, Doering, Drew T, Eustáquio, Alessandra S, Gerwick, William H, Luesch, Hendrik, Orjala, Jimmy, Sutherland, Shaz, Taton, Arnaud, Udwary, Daniel. (2026). Green genes from blue greens: challenges and solutions to unlocking the potential of cyanobacteria in drug discovery. Natural Product Reports, 43, (2), 286-300. doi:10.1039/d5np00016e.
Al-Qiam, ReemaA, Rangel-Grimaldo, Manuel, Chauvin, Isabel M, Kaweesa, Elizabeth N, Khin, Manead, Raja, Huzefa A, Orjala, Jimmy, Burdette, Joanna E, Pearce, Cedric J, Oberlies, Nicholas H. (2025). Beyond Monomers: Discovery of Bioactive Naphthoquinone Heterodimers and Perenniporides from Pyrenochaetopsis Species. Journal of Natural Products, 88, (12), 2968-2977. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c01209.
Won, Kyoung-Jae, Jin, Pei-Ru, Davis, Lydia, Orjala, Jimmy, Lee, Hyunwoo, Jeong, Hyunyoung. (2025). Gut microbial metabolites activate pregnane X receptor to increase CYP3A4 expression in the liver. Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, 61, 101168. doi:10.1016/j.dmpk.2025.101168.
Davis, Lydia J, Krunić, Aleksej, Alexander, Kelsey, Khin, Manead, Wood, Jared S, Earp, Cody, Rangel-Grimaldo, Manuel, Eustáquio, Alessandra S, Burdette, Joanna E, Williamson, R Thomas, Oberlies, Nicholas H, Orjala, Jimmy. (2025). Menominin A and B: Cytotoxic Cyclodepsipeptides from the Freshwater Sponge-Associated Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. UIC 10607. Journal of Natural Products, 88, (3), 732-746. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.4c01445.
Weiss, Márcio B, Borges, Ricardo M, Sullivan, Peter, Domingues, João PB, da Silva, Francisco HS, Trindade, Victória GS, Luo, Shangwen, Orjala, Jimmy, Crnkovic, Camila M. (2025). Chemical diversity of cyanobacterial natural products. Natural Product Reports, 42, (1), 6-49. doi:10.1039/d4np00040d.
Khin, Manead, Davis, Lydia J, Lantvit, Daniel D, Orjala, Jimmy, Burdette, Joanna E. (2024). Aulosirazole Stimulates FOXO3a Nuclear Translocation to Regulate Apoptosis and Cell-Cycle Progression in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer (HGSOC) Cells. Molecular Pharmacology, 106, (3), 145-154. doi:10.1124/molpharm.124.000921.
Professional Leadership
American Society of Pharmacognosy, American Society of Pharmacognosy, 11/15/2019 - Present
Education
Degrees:
PhD, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, 1993
Diploma of Pharmacy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, 1988