Until recently, a researcher with a major Chinese pharmaceutical company, Feng Wang brings both his academic and industrial experience in medicinal chemistry to the Chou Lab to assist in the development of small molecule inhibitors of p97/VCP and its mutations. Previously working to develop treatment therapies for diabetes and liver disease, Feng is thrill with the opportunity to join Dr. Chou to address cancer and rare genetic disease.

Dr Wang holds patents in preparation and application of anti-thrombus oligo peptides and curcumin derivatives. His proficiency in compound synthesis, mass spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography will greatly assist the lab's efforts to diminish cancer resistance to therapy.

Past Work/Training:

Post-doc in Molecular Biology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China

Beijing Sun Capital Pharmatech Co.,Ltd

Education:

Ph. D., Medicinal Chemistry, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China

M.A., Medicinal Chemistry, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China

B.S., Pharmacy, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China

My primary research interests are related to the area of drug development with an emphasis on clinical translation. During my Ph.D., my research focus was to develop a bacterial b-glucuronidase (bG)-specific inhibitor as a chemotherapy adjuvant and chemoprevention drug for colorectal cancers. Bacterial bG enzyme activated drugs or carcinogens are detoxified through hepatic glucuronidation, thus promoting intestinal toxicity and carcinogenesis. In another project, we developed a platform in which human mAgs were expressed in native form on cell adjuvants made with membrane-bound cytokines. These were then used to immunize syngeneic mice directly for anti-membrane protein antibody production.

I joined Dr. Tsui-Fen Chou’s laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow in February 2019. My major research projects here will involve optimizing protein expression and purification for enzyme replacement therapy in the treatment of a rare genetic disease.

Past Work/Training:

Postdoctoral fellow, Center for Biomarkers and Biotech Drugs, Kaohsiung Medical University

Postgraduate student, Center for Biomarkers and Biotech Drugs, Kaohsiung Medical University

Education:

Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

M.S., Cancer Immunology and Biotechnology, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

M.S., Oral Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

B.Sc., Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Gang’s research interest is focused on discovery of active small molecules in cancer and tuberculosis. He could design and synthesize target molecules by molecular modeling and organic synthesis. He could also construct plasmid and express recombinant protein in E Coli. During his doctoral study, Gang participated in discovery of TBI-166 against tuberculosis, which is in phase I clinical trial in China. Thereafter, he discovered the first bi-substrate inhibitor of N-terminal methyltransferase 1, which is a druggable anticancer target. To date, he holds three licensed patents.

Gang joined Chou lab in March 2019. His current project is discovery of RUVBL1/2 complex inhibitor as anti-cancer agents.

Past Work/Training:

Associate Professor, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

Postdoctoral Reserch Fellow, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Education:

Ph.D., Medicinal Chemistry, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

M.S., Medicinal Chemistry, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China

M.S., Clinical Pharmacy, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China

William Rosencrans is graduate student in the Caltech Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics PhD option. A native of Long Island, William graduated from Colgate University with a Degree in Physics and biology. William has spent time conducting research in a wide variety of research areas from physical optics to ecology. During his undergraduate degree, his main research focused on the role of the stem cell transcription factor, KLF4, in regulating mitochondrial health. Traveling to the National University of Singapore, William conducted research on the biopolymer physics of chromatin. After returning to the US, he began working as an intern and later as an Intramural Research Fellow in the lab of Sergey Bezrukov at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) outside of Washington D.C. In this position William used single-molecule biophysics to study the regulation of mitochondrial channel proteins known as VDACs. Moved by the desire to see basic research findings in molecular and cellular biology translate into novel therapies for patients, William joined the Chou lab to develop novel small molecule therapeutics that could rewire endogenous cellular pathways. Now working in collaboration with the lab of Richard Youle at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), William is working to translate discoveries in autophagy into novel drug targets for neurodegeneration.

Outside of the lab William enjoys hiking, cooking, and hosting friends.

Past Work/Training:

Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Fellow at National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Section on Molecular Transport.

Undergraduate Research Assistant at National University of Singapore, Department of Physics.

Research Assistant Colgate University, Department of Biology/Department of Physics

Research Assistant Long Island University, Lab of Molecular Genetics

Education:

B.A. in Physics, minor in Biology, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY