Faculty Mentors

Research Interests

The Carlier Group applies modern organic synthetic techniques to develop new therapeutics for multi-drug-resistant malaria and bacterial infections. Dr. Carlier is also the director of UICentre, UIC’s interdisciplinary, campus-wide center for drug development.

Research Interests

New drug discovery from natural and synthetic sources for tuberculosis

Research Interests

Development of novel chemical and informatics tools to investigate the proteome and complex biological system. By combining chemical screening, mass spectroscopy-based proteomics/metabolomics, and informatics. This research aims to interrogate the proteome and to elucidate protein interactions.

We are a chemical biology lab that employs synthetic chemistry, genetically encoded libraries, and computational chemistry to develop chemical tools that aid in the study of disease-relevant biomolecules. Current research interests include the development of next-generation fluorescent technologies, and peptide-based therapeutics with implications toward anti-cancer, anti-neurodegeneration, and anti-microbial applications.

Research Interests

The work in our lab uses the tools of synthetic medicinal chemistry and chemical biology to develop new tools for studying therapeutically important molecular interactions, with a focus on protein-protein interactions. Our work currently focuses on several different therapeutic targets.

Research Interests

Discovery and development of biologically active natural products from aquatic micro-organisms; natural product drug discovery process.

Research Interests

Discover bioactive secondary metabolites from freshwater cyanobacteria using bioassay-guided isolation. Enhance drug discovery from cyanobacteria using comparative and untargeted metabolomics. Apply genomic tools to assess the genetic diversity and biosynthetic potential of a vast microbial strain library.

Research Interests

Trans-disciplinary integration and innovation of natural products chemistry and pharmaceutical analysis in drug discovery, dietary supplements, and traditional medicine research.

Research Interests

Development of new methods and biologically orthogonal chemical tools for chemical biology and translation of this knowledge to discovery of novel therapeutically relevant compounds; structure-, ligand-, and fragment-based drug design using a mix of medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug design, and bioinformatics.

Research Interests

Applying the techniques of modern synthetic and medicinal chemistry to access natural products and their structural derivatives for several disease areas related to chronic pain, addiction, and other CNS disorders

Research Interests

Discovering molecules with therapeutic potential by combining computational and experimental approaches. Creating workflows that make use of state-of-the-art modelling software. Building custom algorithms to tackle design challenges

Research Interests

Microenvironmental Regulation of Ovarian Carcinoma Metastasis. Signal Transduction Pathways. Mechanisms of Chemoresistance.

Research Interests

Integrate drug discovery, and basic biology to try and understand how and where ovarian cancers originate. Natural products research to uncover new anti-cancer molecules.

Research Interests

Natural product discovery, synthetic biology, and biosynthesis of bacterial metabolites.

Research Interests

Intercellular Communication pathways in Bacterial Pathogens

Research Interests

New drug discovery from natural and synthetic sources for tuberculosis

Research Interests

Dr. Freitag’s research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which pathogenic bacteria cause disease as well as the host immune responses that limit infection.

Research Interests

Development of novel chemical and informatics tools to investigate the proteome and complex biological system. By combining chemical screening, mass spectroscopy-based proteomics/metabolomics, and informatics. This research aims to interrogate the proteome and to elucidate protein interactions.

Research Interests

Molecular mechanisms of formation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks during processes such as Cas9-mediated gene editing and stress.  Molecular mechanism of DNA double-strand break repair by non-homologous end joining.

Research Interests

The Henke lab is looking for the molecules that human-associated microbes produce that drive human health and disease. We use mass spectrometry, natural products chemistry, microbiology, and cell and animal models to find bioactive molecules produced by our symbiotic microbes. Our main areas of focus are inflammatory bowel disease, microbial competition and host homeostasis.

We are a chemical biology lab that employs synthetic chemistry, genetically encoded libraries, and computational chemistry to develop chemical tools that aid in the study of disease-relevant biomolecules. Current research interests include the development of next-generation fluorescent technologies, and peptide-based therapeutics with implications toward anti-cancer, anti-neurodegeneration, and anti-microbial applications.

Research Interests

Mechanisms of protein synthesis; structure, function and evolution of ribosome and ribosomal RNA; mechanisms of action of ribosome-targeted antibiotics

Research Interests

DNA topoisomerases as targets for cancer chemotherapy. Mechanisms of DNA repair by non-homologous end-joining. Using yeast to study the action of therapeutic agents. Roles of topoisomerases and other replication proteins in chromosme segregation and genome stability.

Research Interests

The Sant Lab engineers three-dimensional disease microenvironments and organoids by developing novel biomaterials- and micro-/nanotechnology-based approaches. Their disease focus include breast cancer, ectopic calcifications and infectious diseases. Major goals are to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which microenvironmental factors drive disease progression as well as tissue repair/regeneration; and to design therapeutic strategies to halt or promote such processes.

Research Interests

Epigenetic signaling in cancer, redox biology and metabolism, elucidating novel therapeutic mechanisms to treat aggressive cancers

Research Interests

Pharmacology and biology of breast cancer including mechanisms of endocrine-resistance including protein kinase C (PKC) signaling as a mechanism of tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer; breast cancer and lung cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDXs); development of the selective human estrogen receptor agonists (ShERPAs) TTC-352 in Phase I clinical trial for metastatic breast cancer.

Research Interests

Discovering molecules with therapeutic potential by combining computational and experimental approaches. Creating workflows that make use of state-of-the-art modelling software. Building custom algorithms to tackle design challenges.

Research Interests

1) Understanding mechanisms of chronic pain and drug addiction, and 2) developing new pharmacological treatments for these conditions. The research applies the power of molecular pharmacology, neurobiology pharmacogenetics, targeted delivery, and others

Research Interests

1) Engineering living cells as the next-generation platforms to tackle biological barriers for drug delivery, gene editing. 2) Genetic engineering of immune cells for cell therapy. 3) Biomimetic and material-driven engineering of the immune system/cells for vaccination and immunomodulation.

Research Interests

Using polymers to control the local release of therapeutic molecules and the influence of polymers on cellular phenotype, particularly macrophage polarization

Research Interests

Develop novel bioengineering tools and methods for pharmaceutical science research investigating cancer, vascular and inflammatory diseases. To better understand and improve pharmaco-kinetics and dynamics of therapeutic agents, the research focuses on developing: 1) Integrated molecular assay platforms; 2) High-throughput computational data analysis systems; and, 3) Combination drug delivery strategies

Research Interests

The Sant Lab engineers three-dimensional disease microenvironments and organoids by developing novel biomaterials- and micro-/nanotechnology-based approaches. Their disease focus include breast cancer, ectopic calcifications and infectious diseases. Major goals are to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which microenvironmental factors drive disease progression as well as tissue repair/regeneration; and to design therapeutic strategies to halt or promote such processes.

Research Interests

1) Understanding mechanisms of chronic pain and drug addiction, and 2) developing new pharmacological treatments for these conditions. The research applies the power of molecular pharmacology, neurobiology pharmacogenetics, targeted delivery, and others

Research Interests

1) Engineering living cells as the next-generation platforms to tackle biological barriers for drug delivery, gene editing. 2) Genetic engineering of immune cells for cell therapy. 3) Biomimetic and material-driven engineering of the immune system/cells for vaccination and immunomodulation

Research Interests

Isolation, structural elucidation, and modification of biologically active secondary plant metabolites, as well as the analysis, quality assurance and standardization of botanical supplements.

Research Interests

Drug Discovery and biosynthesis of bacterial metabolites

Research Interests

New drug discovery from natural and synthetic sources for tuberculosis.

Research Interests

The Henke lab is looking for the molecules that human-associated microbes produce that drive human health and disease. We use mass spectrometry, natural products chemistry, microbiology, and cell and animal models to find bioactive molecules produced by our symbiotic microbes. Our main areas of focus are inflammatory bowel disease, microbial competition and host homeostasis.

Research Interests

Discovery and development of biologically active natural products from aquatic micro-organisms. Innovating the natural product discovery process.

Research Interests

Discovery of pharmacological active natural products from cultured cyanobacteria. Chemical Communication between microorganisms and its role in the phenomenon of ‘uncultivable’ micro-organisms. Novel antineoplastic agents from higher plants. Our research tools are modern chromate-graphic methods coupled with sensitive analytical techniques, such as microcoil NMR techniques, and molecular target assays

Research Interests

Trans-disciplinary integration and innovation of natural products chemistry and pharmaceutical analysis in drug discovery, dietary supplements, and traditional medicine research.