Projects

Following the research on characterization of mutant carnitine palmitoyltransferase I gene expressed in yeast and mice, we will study the CPT1 enzyme modulator. To design and characterize new small molecules as reversible and tissue specific modulators by taking the advantage of alphafold protein structure database and published crystallized structure of CPT2. Another direction is to screening our small molecule library to get the target compound that affect the activity of CPT1, the inhibitor will be tested for treatment of diabetes mellitus, while the activator will be tested in preclinical R&D for obesity control.

Andrographolide is a plant-derived diterpenoid small molecule that has its roots in ancient Ayurvedic medicine, and has been more recently explored as a potent modulator of cancer cell division, as well as signaling pathways related to cell cycle control, immunomodulation, and inflammatory signaling. In collaboration with the Njoo group (organic chemistry) at ASDRP, we are developing assays that probe mechanistic details of the biology of andrographolide analogs, particularly in connection to their role in modulating GSK-3β and β-catenin translocation in the Wnt1 pathway in cancer cells.