معرفی
Emily R. Derbyshire is the Eads Family Professor at Duke University, holding joint appointments in the Department of Chemistry (Trinity College of Arts & Sciences), Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Cell Biology (Basic Science Departments). Her interdisciplinary research program at the interface of chemical biology, biochemistry, and parasitology focuses on malaria drug discovery through chemical tools and biological methods targeting Plasmodium parasites.
- Key research areas: Chemical biology of malaria parasites, enzymology, host-pathogen interactions, natural product discovery, and proteostasis mechanisms
- Major contributions: Identification of druggable targets in Plasmodium lifecycle, development of chemical probes for parasite biology, and elucidation of host factors critical to liver-stage infection
Recent publications highlight her work on:
- Hsp90-26S proteasome interactions in malaria parasites
- Covalent enzyme inhibitors like Ubc13-targeting compounds
- Host sphingolipid requirements for liver-stage development
- Computational approaches to dual-stage antimalarial discovery
A recipient of the AAAS Fellowship (2024) and NIH New Innovator Award, she leads a dynamic team including graduate students Anna Truong and Michael Chirgwin, who have made significant contributions to understanding parasite enzymology and chemical inhibition mechanisms. Her laboratory at French Science Center continues to push boundaries in malaria research with recent breakthroughs in proteasome disruption and host factor exploitation.
