Drug Discovery

New Avenues to Fight Serious Illness

person in lab coat and gear pours big vessel of steaming substance into smaller container under fume hood

SJSU researchers focus on new treatments for infectious diseases and bacterial infections, and ways to make existing therapies more effective. Studies also strive to better understand the underlying bases of human diseases, exploring the mechanisms that underlie breast cancer, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s and other dementias, schizophrenia, fetal alcohol syndrome, heart disease, and viral evolution. Below is a rotating selection of our standout investigators in these areas.

○ Recent News and Highlights
○ Related Strength: Biotechnology

Selected Publications

Payumo, A., et al., (2021). Adrenergic-Thyroid Hormone Interactions Drive Postnatal Thermogenesis and Loss of Mammalian Heart Regenerative Capacity. Circulation, 144(12).

Thammavongsy, Z.; Radlauer, M. (2022). Games for the Inorganic Chemistry Classroom. Inorg. Chem. 2022, 61(31).

Award Highlights

French, “The Role of Insulin Signaling in Developmental Ethanol Toxicity” — Department of Health & Human Services, 2020

Miller Conrad, “Blocking cationic antimicrobial peptide-resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa” — NIH, 2016

Radlauer, “Metallopolymers as Functional Metalloprotein Mimics with Secondary Coordination Sphere Interactions.” — NIH, NIGMS, 2020

Radlauer, “LEAPS-MPS: Confinement of Organometallic Complexes within Structured Polymers for Site-Isolated Tandem Catalysis” — NSF, 2021

Wang, "Elucidating the Mechanism for Allosteric Regulation of SIRT1 through the N-Terminal Region" — NIH, 2023

Wang, “Intramolecular Allosteric Regulation of SIRT1 Deacetylase Activity by the N-terminal Domain” — NIH, 2019

Paul, Visintainer, Pizarro, Wilkinson, “Transforming Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Through Culturally Sustaining, Active, and Asset-Based Approaches to Introductory Science Courses” — NSF, 2020

Wilkinson, “Control of Muscle Proprioceptor Sensitivity” — NIGMS, 2018

Innovations

Baronated Nanoscale Sustate and Uses Thereof [pdf]
Method for grafting boron shells onto diamond nanoparticles, enabling targeted boron neutron capture therapy for improved treatments.

Nano Star Technology [pdf]
New platform for targeted drug delivery and imaging.

Affiliates

CSUBIOTECH

CSU STEM-NET

Featured Faculty

Rachael French
Department Chair of Biological Sciences
Drosophila, Ethanol, Development, Fetal Alcohol Effects, Behavior
ORCID: 0000-0001-9974-4293

Laura Miller Conrad
Professor of Chemistry
Chemical Biology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Antibiotics, Gram-Negative Bacteria, Quorum Sensing
ORCID: 0000-0003-0937-5362

payumo Alexander Payumo
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Understanding why mammals lose the ability to regenerate their hearts after birth
ORCID: 0000-0002-7733-9622

Madalyn Radlauer
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry, Catalysis, Organometallics, Inorganic, Polymers, Environmental and Health Applications
ORCID: 0000-0002-3226-5340

Ningkun Wang
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Allosteric Regulation of Enzymes, SIRT1, Conformational Change, Intrinsically Disordered Proteins, Alzheimer's, Type II Diabetes
ORCID: 0000-0003-3545-5323

Katie Wilkinson
Professor of Biological Sciences
Neurophysiology, Sensory Physiology, Motor Control, Proprioception, Muscle Spindle, Physiology
ORCID: 0000-0002-2692-5533

Potential collaborators and members of the media may contact us at officeofresearch@sjsu.edu.