Featured Compound

8H/343 induces death in cancer cells, arrest cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and inhibits transcription of certain CYP enzymes. Link to
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Featured Compound

Apramycin induces elimination of certain plasmids from drug-resistant bacteria, thus sensitizing the bacteria to conventional antibiotics.
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Featured Compound

Dykellic acid protects cells from death as induced by various cytotoxins, and does so in a manner not associated with reactive oxygen species scavenging or caspase inhibition.
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Featured Compound

Ferric salts inhibit the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilms and sensitizes these bacteria to standard antibiotics. Paper #1 »
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Featured Compound

PAC-1 induces death in cancer cells in a manner proportional to their levels of procaspase-3. PAC-1 is currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in dogs with cancer, and has been licensed to BioLineRx for development as a chemotherapeutic for humans. Paper #1 »   Paper #2 »
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Featured Compound

TPMP-II-2 induces death in cancer cells, and arrests cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle through an unknown mechanism. Certain members of this class of compounds have been licensed to LinkCore Pharmaceuticals for development as a human chemotherapeutic.  Paper »

Featured Compound

TPMP-III-2 induces death in cancer cells by disrupting/preventing the formation of microtubules.
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Featured Compound

Deoxystreptamine dimers bind tightly and selectively to specifically-sized RNA hairpin loops.
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Featured Compound

A new class of wedge-shaped compounds have been reported. These compounds are soluble and stable in aqueous solution, and bind to certain classes of RNA secondary structures.
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Featured Hergenrother Group Member

James Heeres has been in the Hergenrother lab 5 years as a graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry and a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Training Grant. James recently developed a novel technology for the identification of compounds that disrupt protein-DNA interactions, and is the author of a review on caspase-independent cell death. James recently presented his work at the 2008 Bioorganic Gordon Research Conference in New Hampshire.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Ben Leslie graduated from UIUC in January 2009 with a PhD in Chemistry. While in the Hergenrother lab, Ben was involved in the discovery of anti-cancer TPMAs and other anti-cancer agents. Ben was the author of a recent review on target identification strategies, and presented some of his work at the 2007 Medicinal Chemistry Gordon Research Conference. While at UIUC Ben was the recipient of a Pines Travel Award, the Voorhees Award for best original research proposal, the Pines Award for best presentation at the annual Allerton Conference, and a fellowship from the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry. Ben is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Taekjip Ha's Lab at UIUC.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Elizabeth Moritz has been in the Hergenrother lab 5 years as a graduate student in the Department of Microbiology and a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Training Grant. Elizabeth discovered that the genes for toxin-antitoxin systems are ubiquitous and plasmid-encoded in certain pathogenic bacteria. She has also written a book chapter on the prevalence of plasmid-encoded resistance in bacteria. Elizabeth recently presented some of her work at the 2008 Antibacterial Gordon Research Conference in Italy.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Rahul Palchaudhuri has been in the Hergenrother lab 4 years as a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry. Rahul has synthesized and evaluated two novel classes of anti-cancer agents, the TPMPs and the TPMAs, one of which has been licensed for development as a human chemotherapeutic by LinkCore Pharma. Rahul was the recent recipient of the UIUC Fuson Travel Award and the Vandeveer Vorrhees Award for Best Original Research Proposal. He has also written a review on DNA binding anti-cancer drugs.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Christina Thompson graduated from UIUC in November of 2008 with a PhD in Chemistry. While in the Hergenrother lab Christina completed the total synthesis of dykellic acid, and evaluated its potential as a cytoprotective agent. Christina presented this work at the 2007 Natural Products Gordon Research Conference in New Hampshire, and while at UIUC was the recipient of the Fuson Travel Award. In November of 2008 Christina assumed a position as a medicinal chemist at Abbott Laboratories.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Nora Wang has been in the Hergenrother lab 5 years and is working on the development of novel anti-bacterial agents, and in this context has developed a novel assay for the MazF bacterial toxin. Nora presented some of her work at the 2008 ACS National Meeting in New Orleans.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Diana West has been in the Hergenrother lab 4 years as a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry. Diana has evaluated a novel class of trioxane sulfone dimers as anti-cancer agents, and was part of the team that discovered the mechanism by which the compound PAC-1 activates procaspase-3 and -7. Diana is the recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship from the NIH, and has presented her work at the DoD Era of Hope Breast Cancer conference, the NIH Summit 2008, and the 2008 SACNAS national conference.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Quinn Peterson has been in the Hergenrother lab for 3 years as a graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry and a member of the Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Grant. Quinn was part of the team that recently identified the mechanism by which the novel anti-cancer agent PAC-1 activates procaspase-3 and that defined the SAR and sub-cellular localization for PAC-1. For the 2009-2010 academic year Quinn has been awarded a predoctoral fellowship from the Medicinal Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society. Quinn presented his work at Experimental Biology 2009.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Todd Meyer graduated from UIUC in August of 2009 with a PhD in Chemistry. While in the Hergenrother lab, Todd developed a novel class of wedge-shaped small molecules that bind selectively to certain RNA secondary structures. Todd presented some of this work at the ACS meeting in 2007. Todd is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor Sergey Kozmin at the University of Chicago.

Featured Hergenrother Group Member

Danny Hsu a post-doctoral fellow in the Hergenrother lab. Danny was part of the team that recently determine the structure-activity relationship of the anticancer compound PAC-1. This work enabled Danny to synthesize a fluorescent version of PAC-1, which was shown to co-localize with sites of caspase activity inside cancer cells. Danny presented his work at the ACS/AACR meeting in 2008. Danny joined the Hergenrother lab after completing his PhD in the laboratory of Professor Paul Carlier at Virginia Tech University.