Chemical Biology

Our faculty and students are on the front line of this exciting field, developing new techniques and integrating modern chemical methods to understand biological problems at the molecular level. Recent technological breakthroughs present spectacular new opportunities to address problems in pharmacology, cell biology, structural biology, and medicine. State-of-the-art facilities in structural biology make the University of Minnesota an excellent choice for the biological chemist who wishes to correlate detailed molecular structure with biological function. Some of our research encompasses:

synthesizing potent bioactive molecules including anti-cancer compounds and natural products;
developing chemical methods for synthesis of small molecules, peptides and small proteins, engineering designer proteins;
mimicking metalloprotein active sites and examining reactivity of model complexes;
using a combination of biochemical, inorganic, and synthetic organic chemistry to study how these fascinating catalysts function at the molecular level;
conducting single cell, organelle, and molecule analysis;
studying the redox properties of enzymes;
designing novel bioactive nanomaterials;
conducting in-situ neurochemistry;
performing theoretical and computational studies of the structure, reactivity, and dynamics of biomolecules in solution;
modeling enzymatic catalysis;
using fluorescence, IR, Raman, EPR, and NMR spectroscopies to study exciting problems and protein-RNA interactions, HIV, membrane-bound proteins, and metalloproteins;
conducting in vitro selection (SELEX) to obtain new diagnostic and therapeutic agents;
developing and using new methods for proteomic analysis;
determining the structure of proteins via NMR methods;
studying the mechanisms of DNA damage and repair;
creating new protein-based therapeutics; and
developing new methods for super resolution microscopy.

Chemical Biology Interface Training Grant

The National Institutes of Health Chemical Biology Interface Training Grant allows first-rate students to grow into accomplished professionals both in their primary area of interest (e.g., synthetic/mechanistic organic and inorganic chemistry, molecular biology, mechanistic enzymology, medicinal chemistry) and in a complementary field by cross-discipline research interactions and experiences. Pre-doctoral trainees for this training grant program are selected from a pool of graduate students who have been recruited by the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, and Medicinal Chemistry departments.

Edgar A. Arriaga

Northey Professor, Department of Chemistry

arriaga@umn.edu

323 Smith Hall

George Barany

Professor, Department of Chemistry

barany@umn.edu

435 Smith Hall

Ambika Bhagi-Damodaran

Assistant Professor, McKnight Land-Grant Professor, Department of Chemistry

ambikab@umn.edu

468B Kolthoff Hall

Michael T. Bowser

Professor, Department of Chemistry

bowser@umn.edu

7-134 Nils Hasselmo Hall

Jan-Niklas (Nik) Boyn

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry (Fall 2024)

jboyn@umn.edu

Erin E. Carlson

Smith Professor, Department of Chemistry

carlsone@umn.edu

341 Smith Hall

Mark D. Distefano

Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry

diste001@umn.edu

668C Kolthoff Hall

Renee Frontiera

Northrop Professor, Director of Graduate Studies for Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry

rrf@umn.edu

233 Smith Hall

Varun Gadkari

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry

vgadkari@umn.edu

326 Smith Hall

Jiali Gao

Professor, Department of Chemistry

jgao@umn.edu

241A Kolthoff Hall

Gunda Georg

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Medicinal Chemistry

georg@umn.edu

452 717 Delaware St SE

Timothy Griffin

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Biological Sciences

tgriffin@umn.edu

7-144 Molecular And Cellular Biology

Daniel Harki

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Medicinal Chemistry

daharki@umn.edu

2-139 Cancer and Cardiovascular Research Building

Carrie Haskell-Luevano

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Medicinal Chemistry

chaskell@umn.edu

B-102 Weaver-Densford Hall

Christy L. Haynes

Department Head, Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Department of Chemistry

chaynes@umn.edu

139A Smith Hall

Thomas R. Hoye

Distinguished University Teaching Professor, College of Science & Engineering Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry

hoye@umn.edu

422 Smith Hall

John Lipscomb

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, & Biophysics

lipsc001@umn.edu

5-122 Nils Hasselmo Hall

Valérie C. Pierre

Professor, Department of Chemistry

pierre@umn.edu

237 Smith Hall

William C.K. Pomerantz

Professor, McKnight Land-Grant Professor, McKnight Presidential Fellow, Department of Chemistry

wcp@umn.edu

215 Smith Hall

Lawrence (Larry) Que Jr.

Regents Professor, Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry

larryque@umn.edu

343 Smith Hall

Theresa M. Reineke

Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Prager Chair in Macromolecular Science, Department of Chemistry

treineke@umn.edu

239 Smith Hall

Natalia Tretyakova

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Medicinal Chemistry

trety001@umn.edu

2-147 Cancer and Cardiovascular Research Building

Donald G. Truhlar

Regents Professor, Distinguished University Teaching Professor, College of Science & Engineering Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemistry

truhlar@umn.edu

247 Smith Hall

Carston R. Wagner

Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Medicinal Chemistry

wagne003@umn.edu

2-220 Cancer and Cardiovascular Research Building

Chemical Biology

Faculty

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