Molecular Pharmacology

Molecular pharmacology studies the biochemical and biophysical interactions between drugs and their targets and cellular pathways. Our group is interested in identifying new target proteins for age-related diseases such as cancer, and in developing strategies to regulate these targets using conventional small-molecule drugs or macromolecular therapeutics. We perform genetic screens to identify new targets, and early stage drug discovery work such as small-molecule screens to identify lead compounds for further development. Some of our recent work in this area has focused on the characterization of molecules that activate SIRT1, a putative longevity gene, and on the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of Nsp15, a protein used by SARS-CoV-2 (the causative agent of COVID-19) for immune evasion.