John K. Walker

John K. Walker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Saint Louis University's School of Science and Engineering, with research affiliations in Pharmacology & Physiology. His work focuses on medicinal chemistry approaches to develop novel bioactive molecules targeting critical biological challenges.

• B.S. in Chemistry, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (1990)
• M.S. in Chemistry, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (1992)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Indiana University (1997)

Research in the Walker Lab centers on medicinal chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and chemical biology, with particular emphasis on:

• Designing and synthesizing novel bioactive molecules
• Computational methods including molecular modeling and docking
• Bacterial efflux pump inhibitors to combat antibiotic resistance
• GPCR modulators for pain signaling pathways
• Development of tool compounds for biological studies

Recent publications highlight his work in:

• Efflux pump inhibition mechanisms (2024-2025)
• Nuclear receptor agonist development (2024)
• GPCR signaling in pain pathways (2025)
• Antibiotic permeation modeling (2024)
• Metabolic disease therapeutics (2023-2024)