Research Lab Websites

Our group is small but mighty. We work at the interface of basic science, bioinformatics, and clinical data collection to identify cell signaling cascades that can be targeted for new lung cancer therapies. We are also very interested in using all available patient data to develop personalized therapeutic approaches for lung cancer patients.

The Chappell laboratory is dedicated to understanding the mechanisms that plants use to make the dizzying array of terpene/isoprenoid compounds. For many years, and like many laboratories, we focused our attention on how plants regulate the biosynthesis of antimicrobial terpene-based phytoalexins. Our interests have expanded from there. Our work utilizes a wide range of experimental strategies including genetic engineering, structure-function comparisons of genes and proteins, and cross-comparisons between many different plants and other organisms.

We focus on the preclinical phases of drug discovery. Our highly collaborative and multidisciplinary group includes synthetic, medicinal and analytical chemists; cell and developmental biologists; parasitologists; and pharmacologists. To achieve our goal of making the best compounds for clinical development, we bring these disciplines together in a team, working in concert to identify promising leads and optimize their chemical properties for translation to the clinic.

The Park Lab works at the interface of Regenerative Medicine, Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, and Nanotechnology to establish translatable therapeutic strategies for human patients of neural trauma and degenerative diseases.

Our work is interdisciplinary and very collaborative in nature. Graduate students interested in drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, organic synthesis, chemical biology and/or pharmacology are encouraged to apply to the graduate program.  Undergraduate students interested in participating in our research may apply to the lab either through the College of Pharmacy Summer Research Program or by contacting Dr. Prisinzano directly.

We study mechanisms required for the pathogenesis of infection and cancer and discover novel compounds to inhibit these mechanisms by using a combination of enzymology, structural biology and biophysical chemistry.

My group focuses primarily on nicotine and opioid use disorders, examining how genomic alterations in select cell-types impact SUD endophenotypes. For example, work done in collaboration with Drs. Pavel Ortinski (UK College of Medicine) and Michael Bardo (UK Arts and Sciences) is exploring new avenues for application of pharmacogenomics to fentanyl dependence, utilizing both rodent and human models to disentangle genomic remodeling in neuronal and glial cell-types.  Furthermore, we expand on this information to interrogate how genetic reprograming impacts functional outcomes at the circuitry level, utilizing in vivo calcium imaging and ex vivo voltage clamp recordings.  This approach has been very fruitful, leading to current development of novel targets for drug discovery efforts in collaboration with my college’s Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, which partners our group with experts in medicinal chemistry, drug screening, and bioinformatics to accelerate discovery to delivery for SUD therapeutics.

The overall goal of our research program is to discover and characterize new antibiotics with novel structures and/or mode of action. We are specifically focusing on the discovery of antibiotics from microorganisms and subsequently examining the biosynthesis and structural diversification/optimization of these compounds.

Students and fellows in Dr. Venditto's lab come from diverse backgrounds with interests in chemistry, biology, drug delivery and experimental therapeutics, but a common goal of exploring novel methods to modulate the immune system. Students and fellows are encouraged to utilize their skills to advance projects while learning new skills to better appreciate the various aspects of designing novel immunotherapies.