معرفی
Charlie Fehl is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on developing chemical tools to understand sugar biology and treat metabolic diseases. Dr. Fehl leads the Fehl Lab, which aims to build a world where we can predict, control, and prevent metabolic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
Dr. Fehl's educational background includes:
- B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan (2009)
- Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas (2014)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Oxford, UK (2014-2018)
Dr. Fehl's research spans the intersection of chemical biology, glycobiology, and disease mechanisms. His lab develops highly selective chemical reactions that can occur in living cells to track sugar signaling motifs in disease states characterized by altered sugar metabolism. A key focus is on hexosamine sugar signaling pathways including glucosamines, which play critical roles in diseases resulting from unbalanced sugar usage. The Fehl Group designs innovative chemical tools such as light-controlled photosugars and cell compartment-specific "GlycoID" labeling strategies to precisely define the roles of hexosamine sugar-driven effects. Their work applies chemical biology tools at the interface of metabolism, disease, and cancer pathways to discover new roles for glucose-driven events in cells and disease, with particular emphasis on cancers that have elevated risk in patients with hyperglycemia.
Analysis of Dr. Fehl's recent publications reveals a strong focus on O-GlcNAc biology, with particular emphasis on developing novel chemical tools for studying glycosylation in live cells. His research spans from fundamental chemical methodology development to applications in cancer biology and metabolic disease. A clear trend shows progression from basic chemical tool development toward increasingly sophisticated applications in disease models, particularly in understanding the connections between hyperglycemia, O-GlcNAc modification, and cancer progression.
Dr. Fehl has received numerous prestigious awards and grants, including:
- University Research Grant (WSU, 2019-2020)
- Ebbing Faculty Development Award (WSU, 2020-2021)
- NIH R35 Grant (2021-2026): "Spatiotemporal tools to interrogate O-GlcNAc functions in cellular signaling"
- NSF CAREER award (2023-2028): "CAREER: Illuminating O-GlcNAc-driven functions of the human proteome"
- Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience research grant (2023-2024): "Capturing real-time sugar signaling in cells with light-released O-GlcNAc probes"
- Michigan Diabetes Research Center Pilot & Feasibility Award (2024-2025): "Targeting aberrant O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation in prediabetic insulin resistance"
Dr. Fehl is actively involved in training the next generation of chemical biology innovators through his research lab and teaching responsibilities. He teaches courses including Organic Spectroscopy (CHM6240/7240), Tools of Molecular Biology (CHM6635/7635), Organic Chemistry 1 (CHM1240), and Drug Design (CHM6270/7270). His research program is well-funded through multiple federal and foundation grants, allowing him to maintain an active research program investigating the connections between sugar metabolism, glycosylation, and disease states.
The Fehl Lab operates from laboratory space in Chemistry building rooms 420 and 421 at Wayne State University. The lab brings together expertise in chemical synthesis, cell biology, and disease modeling to investigate how altered sugar metabolism contributes to disease. They maintain a dedicated disease project platform that investigates how hyperglycemia can lead to diabetes and different tumor types using a combination of in vitro and in vivo models. The lab is particularly known for developing innovative chemical tools like light-controlled photosugars and the GlycoID labeling strategy for studying glycosylation in live cells.
