Albert A Bowers

Albert A. Bowers is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is affiliated with the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry (CBMC), the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research integrates medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and computational methods to develop peptide-based therapeutics using mRNA display technology.

Education:

• BA, The University of Chicago, 2001
• PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2007
• NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School, 2008-2011

Research Focus: Dr. Bowers' lab specializes in creating macrocyclic peptide libraries via mRNA display and biocatalysis. Key themes include advancing peptide macrocyclization techniques using enzymes like tyrosinase and microbial transglutaminase, and targeting challenging therapeutic areas such as protein-protein interactions and cancer antigens. Research combines biochemical library synthesis, bioinformatics, and structure-based design.

Publications: Recent work emphasizes enzymatic methods for peptide cyclization and mRNA display optimization, reflecting a consistent focus on improving the pharmacological profiles of macrocyclic therapeutics against undruggable targets.

Awards:

• Beckman Young Investigator Award (2014-2018)
• Boulder Peptide Society Young Investigator Award (2016)

Collaborations & Labs: Leads the Bowers Lab focused on peptide macrocycle discovery. Collaborates with UNC researchers on targets including cancer antigens (MAGE-A4), checkpoint receptors (EGFR, B7-H3), GPCRs (Bryan Roth Lab), and ubiquitin pathways (Nick Brown Lab). Funded projects address high-value therapeutic targets lacking small-molecule solutions.