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Chemical Biology

What is Chemical Biology?

Researchers in chemical biology use the power of chemistry to explore fundamental biological processes in new and exciting ways. In our department, chemical biologists are discovering new treatments to thwart the impacts of diseases like COVID-19, ALS, HIV, and cancer.

Chemistry is a central pillar of our department’s mission. As such, we have a program completely dedicated to it! Run by Dr. Paul Thompson, The Program in Chemical Biology (PCB) unites scientists across UMass Chan in their mission to tackle important biological questions using the tools of chemistry.

What is the impact of our research in Chemical Biology?

Drug delivery may be improved by nanotechnology designed and tested in our department. Find out more here.
Ion channel research is furthered by the development and implementation of new chemical probes in our department. Understanding ion channel biology is critical to the development of new treatments for diseases like cardiac arrhythmia, hearing loss, and much more. Find out more on the Kobertz Lab site.
New therapies for autoimmune diseases are being discovered by chemists in our department. Find out more here.

Who's studying Chemical Biology?

Akbar Ali , PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology; Director of the Synthetic Chemistry Facility; Manager of the Small Molecule NMR Facility; Member of the Schiffer Lab

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Ali team develops antiviral drug candidates using structure-based design strategies to avoid resistance.

Broader Impact: HIV, HCV, cancer, influenza, dengue, COVID-19

Office/Lab Location: LRB 840
Phone: 508-856-8873

Lab Page
Gang Han , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Han lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop nanomaterials for use in chemistry and biology research and in drug delivery.

Office Location: LRB 806
Lab Location: LRB 870 U
Phone: 508-856-3297

Lab Page
William R. Kobertz , PhD

Professor Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Kobertz Lab develops new tools to study the roles of glycosylation in ion channel localization and function.

Broader Impact: Cardiac arrythmias, hearing loss

Office Location: LRB 804
Lab Location: LRB 840 C
Phone: 508-856-8861

Lab Page
Stephen Miller , PhD

Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Miller Lab develops optical imaging probes, ranging from the design of new fluorescent molecules to engineered luciferins and luciferases for in vivo bioluminescence imaging.

Key Words: bioluminescence, fluorescence, near-infrared, imaging, probes, chemical biology

Research Tools: fluorescence microscopy, synthetic organic chemistry, bioluminescence imaging, AAV transduction, mouse models, mammalian cell culture, spectrophotometry, NMR, mammalian cell culture, M. musculus (mouse)

Broader Impact: optical probes are broadly applicable to study many different diseases

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 805
Lab Location: LRB 870 X
Phone: 508-856-8865

Lab Page
William E. Royer , PhD

Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Royer lab uses their expertise in X-Ray Crystallography to study how the assembly of macromolecules regulates biological function.

Key Words: Structural Biology, X-ray Crystallography, Protein Assembly and regulation.

Research Tools: X-Ray Crystallography

Broader Impact: Cancer

he/him/his
Office Location: LRB 921
Lab Location: LRB 970 G, W
Phone: 508-856-6912

Lab Page
Celia Schiffer , PhD

Chair & Arthur F. and Helen P. Koskinas Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, and Director of the Institute for Drug Resistance

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Chemical Biology, Computational Biochemistry

Research Interest: The Schiffer Lab studies the molecular basis for drug resistance and has developed a new paradigm for avoiding drug resistance when targeting enzymes in structure-based drug design.

Research Tools: protein crystallography, CryoEM/CryoET, molecular dynamics simulations, homology modeling, enzymatic assays and medicinal chemistry,

Broader Impact: RNA Viruses (HIV, HTLV, Influenza, Coronaviruses, Enteroviruses, Flaviviruses) and Cancer

Office Location: LRB 928
Lab Location: LRB 840 D; 860 C; 960 E; 970 C, D, L, M
Phone: 508-856-8008

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Paul Thompson , PhD

Endowed Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology II; Director of the Program in Chemical Biology; Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Biophysics & Macromolecular Structures, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Thompson lab is a leader in the field of chemical biology and exploits these techniques to study biomedically-important enzymes and proteins including the Protein Arginine Deiminases, STING and SARM1.

Key Words: Drug discovery, deimination, autoimmunity, rheumatoid arthritis, citrullination, enzymology

Research Tools: Enzymology, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, proteomics, inhibitor design

Broader Impact: rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, lupus, STING-associated vasculopathy in infancy, ALS, peripheral neuropathies, cancer.

Office Location: LRB 825
Lab Location: LRB 860 B, C, E
Phone: 508-856-8492

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Qing Yu , PhD

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology

Type: Primary

Areas of Research: Biochemical Mechanisms, Cellular Biochemistry, Chemical Biology

Research Interest: The Yu Lab builds multiplexed, intelligent proteomics platforms to systematically understand protein function in health and disease and to advance therapeutic development.

Key Words: Multiplexed proteomics, mass spectrometry, post-translational modification, bioinformatics, chemical biology, cell signaling, systems biology, drug discovery

Research Tools: Mass spectrometry, mammalian cell culture, mouse model

Broader Impact: Drug resistance, cancer, aging

Office Location: LRB 815
Lab Location: LRB 870 D, E
Phone: 508-856-2174

Lab Page