Brendan Frett

Brendan Frett serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences within the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). His academic appointment encompasses graduate teaching in drug discovery and translational research focused on oncology therapeutics development.

Dr. Frett's educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the College of Wooster
• Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Arizona
• Postdoctoral training in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics at the University of Arizona

His research program centers on small molecule drug design with emphasis on developing enabling chemical methodologies to accelerate drug discovery. A core focus is identifying single-agent therapies capable of simultaneously modulating multiple dysregulated pathways in cancer. This work spans kinase inhibitor discovery for targets including RET, FLT3, NEK2, and Aurora kinases, with strong translational emphasis where laboratory findings directly inform clinical development.

Analysis of Dr. Frett's recent publication record (2022-2025) reveals consistent thematic evolution from foundational kinase inhibitor studies toward sophisticated approaches including dual-targeting agents, proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), and novel binding modalities. Key trends include overcoming resistance mutations through structural innovation, improving selectivity profiles, and optimizing pharmacokinetic properties for clinical translation. Several discoveries have advanced to pharmaceutical partnerships for clinical development, demonstrating direct patient impact potential.

Dr. Frett actively mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in his UAMS laboratory. His research has fostered industry collaborations resulting in transferred academic discoveries for clinical development. He maintains active memberships in the American Chemical Society, American Thyroid Association, and American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The laboratory led by Dr. Frett integrates medicinal chemistry, computational modeling, and biological evaluation to develop novel anticancer agents. Current efforts focus on targeting oncogenic kinases through innovative small molecule design, with particular emphasis on translational projects bridging basic science and patient care in precision oncology.