Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry

Meet The Faculty

Faculty Members
Student Interviews

Jonathan A. Doorn	Meet This Professor Why Iowa Challenging Research Career Opportunities Collaborative Enviroment	Video Research Presentation	View Research Papers	E-mail This Professor
Professor Doorn's research insterests include: 1) elucidating mechanisms for generation of a reactive aldehyde intermediate of dopamine metabolism, involving drugs, toxicants and cellular stress 2) indentifying proteins modified by the aldehyde, 3) determining the functional consequence of protein adduction, and 4) design the synthesis of "carbonyl scavengers" for therapeutic intervention.
Michael W. Duffel	Meet This Professor Boundaries Financial Support History of Success Independent Thinkers Mentorship	Video Research Presentation	View Research Papers	E-mail This Professor
Professor Duffel's research interests concern the biochemistry of enzymes involved in mammalian conversion of drugs to reactive metabolites that mediate toxic and therapeutic effects. His current research includes studies on the specificity, mechanisms, and regulation of sulfotransferases that are involved in drug metabolism and chemical carcinogenesis.
Zhendong Jin	Meet This Professor Career Path Beating the Competition Passion for Science Important Research	Video Research Presentation	View Research Papers	E-mail This Professor
Professor Jin's research interests are total synthesis of biologically active natural products and structural analogs, development of new synthetic methodologies, chemical biology, and development of anti-cancer and anti-HIV agents.
Robert J. Kerns	Meet This Professor Better World Broad Approach Ideal Graduate Student Research Opportunities	Video Research Presentation	View Research Papers	E-mail This Professor
Professor Kern's research programs employ synthetic chemistry as the foundation of a multidisicplinary approach to solve problems of therapeutic importance. Current project areas are: (1) Design and synthesis of novel antibiotics and efflux pump inhibitors toward overcoming efflux-mediated resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. (2) Design and synthesis of novel glycoconjugates toward understanding and developing inhibitors of extra-cellular interactions mediated by the cell surface polysaccharide, heparan sulfate. Therapeutic targets include development of novel anticoagulants, novel anticancer agents, and novel inhibitors of host-pathogen interactions.
Horacio F. Olivo	Meet This Professor An Olympic Approach Growing as a Student Character Building Research Getting Published Mentorship	Video Research Presentation	View Research Papers	E-mail This Professor
Research in Professor Olivo's group includes three research programs: synthesis of novel antitumor marine macrolactones, synthesis of alkaloids with significant biological activity, and biotransformations in organic chemistry. Development of new synthetic methodology and the application of isolated enzymes and whole-cell microorganisms tie together the three programs.
Kevin G. Rice	Meet This Professor An Informed Decision Recruiting Students A Family Affair Iowa City Pushing the Frontier Future Research	Video Research Presentation	View Research Papers	E-mail This Professor
The Rice group is focused on the design and biological testing of targeted gene delivery systems that aim to treat cancer, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia and viral infections of the liver. We synthesize bioconjugates of peptides and carbohydrates, combine these with DNA or RNA and administer these to cells in culture and animals to test the efficiency of gene transfer and the efficacy at treating disease.