“Modular” Chemical Tools for Biologics Delivery

The therapeutic landscape is transitioning from small-molecule drugs to biologics—such as peptides, proteins, antibodies, and nucleic acids—due to their greater target specificity and lower toxicity. However, the delivery of these biologics remains a significant challenge. Our research lab will focus on creating innovative chemical strategies to bridge the gap between the basic science and translational research in drug delivery. Specifically, we are interested in developing novel chemical probes using chemistry, biology, and engineering to address three independent yet interconnected projects: (1) reversible protein modification for protein-based drug delivery, (2) fluorogenic nanoparticles to investigate the cellular uptake mechanism of biologics, and (3) trifunctional activity-based probes for molecular imaging and new target discovery. We will achieve these aims through a combination of rational chemical tool design and high-throughput techniques, which together, enable a ‘bottom-up’ approach to solving fundamental challenges in biomedicine. Our vision is to provide molecular-level insights into drug delivery and revolutionize the field of medicine by introducing proteins as next-generation therapies for currently undruggable diseases.

My research program will encompass synthetic organic chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical biology to train students to branch out to nanotechnology, biomedical engineering, pharmacology, and optical imaging.