Francis Peterson

Francis Peterson, PhD is a Professor of Biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He serves as NMR Facility Manager and leads the Small-Molecule Screening Team. His research focuses on chemokine structure-function relationships, protein engineering, and NMR-based drug discovery. Key areas include understanding chemokine-receptor interactions (e.g., CCL21/CCR7, CCL28), designing small molecule ligands, and developing therapies for autoimmune diseases like psoriasis. He has pioneered methods for fragment-based screening and structural studies of mitochondrial proteins. His work bridges basic biochemical research with translational applications in drug development.

Education: PhD in Biochemistry (not explicitly stated in text).

Research Interests:
- Chemokine biology and dimerization mechanisms
- NMR spectroscopy applications in drug discovery
- Protein structure-function relationships
- Mitochondrial dynamics (FIS1/DRP1)
- Design of engineered proteins and biosensors
- Small molecule ligand discovery

Scientific Contributions: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles (2011–2023) covering structural biology, immunology, and medicinal chemistry. Active in developing novel assays (e.g., modified ELISA for chemokine dimers) and protein engineering approaches for therapeutic targets.

Lab/Teams: Directs the NMR Facility and manages the Small-Molecule Screening Team, enabling collaborative research across departments. His lab integrates structural biology techniques with functional studies to address biomedical questions.