Alison Axtman

Alison Axtman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC-UNC) and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Her research focuses on using small molecules to explore disease mechanisms and develop therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ALS. She holds affiliations with the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, emphasizing interdisciplinary work between chemistry and biology.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas (advisor: Brian Blagg)
• Postdoctoral studies at Stanford University (advisor: Paul Wender)

Research Interests: Dr. Axtman’s work bridges medicinal chemistry and biological systems, aiming to discover small molecule probes and therapeutics. Key areas include:

• Inhibitors targeting kinases and lipid kinases
• Drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases
• Chemical biology tools for studying disease pathways

Publications: Her recent work includes development of chemical probes for PIKfyve, CSNK2, and CDKL5 kinases, with a focus on antiviral and neuroprotective applications. She collaborates widely to advance drug discovery in Alzheimer’s and ALS.

Labs/Teams: She leads efforts at SGC-UNC, a collaborative hub for open-science drug discovery, and contributes to initiatives like the TREAT-AD Center targeting Alzheimer’s disease.