The Kersten lab is a multidisciplinary lab in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. We strive to provide a training environment for budding medicinal chemists interested in plants as a source for drug discovery in the following areas:
Natural product discovery - Most plant natural products are discovered by bioactivity-guided approaches. In our lab, we apply large-scale omics techniques for the discovery of plant chemistry, which is overlooked by bioassays. In our research, we target as many plants as possible to find new chemistry across the plant kingdom with a focus on plant peptides.
Trainees can learn mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, transcriptomics, and genomics as approaches for plant natural product discovery. Furthermore, trainees can gain analytical chemistry skills for isolation and structure elucidation of complex natural products.
Examples:Â
Metabolomics: Discovery and biosynthesis of cyclic plant peptides via autocatalytic plant peptides. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41589-021-00892-6
Transcriptomics: Large-scale transcriptome mining enables macrocyclic diversification and improved bioactivity of the stephanotic acid scaffold. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59428-4
Genomics: Gene-guided discovery and engineering of branched cyclic peptides in plants. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1813993115
Natural product biosynthesis - Significant knowledge gaps exist in plant metabolism, which need to be filled to improve omics-guided plant natural product discovery. We study new enzymology such as peptide cyclases relevant to medicinal chemistry of plant natural products.
Trainees can learn RNA-seq-based approaches for plant enzyme discovery, heterologous protein production, and biochemical techniques for enzyme characterization. Trainees can furthermore learn differential gene expression analysis and transient gene expression in Nicotiana benthamiana for elucidation of plant biosynthetic pathways.
Examples:
Enzyme discovery: Gene-Guided Discovery and Ribosomal Biosynthesis of Moroidin Peptides. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.2c00014
Enzyme characterization: An intramolecular macrocyclase in plant ribosomal peptide biosynthesis. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41589-024-01552-1
We are always interested in new motivated talent joining our exploration of the plant chemical world. Here are graduate programs with which we are affiliated:
Medicinal Chemistry: https://pharmacy.umich.edu/pharmacy-programs/phd/medicinal-chemistry/
Program for Chemical Biology: https://chembio.umich.edu/