Khaled A. Shaaban

Khaled A. Shaaban, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. He also serves as the Director of the Natural Product Repository initiative at the Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation (CPRI).

• Institution: University of Kentucky
• College: College of Pharmacy
• Department: Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Position: Associate Professor
• Leadership Role: Director, CPRI Natural Product Repository

Dr. Shaaban received his B.S. in Chemistry from Mansoura University, Egypt (2000), followed by M.S. (2005) and PhD (2009) in Organic Chemistry from the University of Göttingen, Germany, under Professor Hartmut Laatsch. He completed postdoctoral research at the University of Kentucky (2009–2011) and The Scripps Research Institute (2011–2012).

His research focuses on natural product chemistry, particularly the discovery and development of bioactive compounds from microbial sources. Key areas include:

• Natural product isolation from bacteria, fungi, and marine organisms
• Biosynthesis and semi-synthesis of complex natural products
• Drug discovery for infectious diseases and cancer
• Advanced structure elucidation using chromatography, NMR, and mass spectrometry
• Metabolomics-based strain dereplication

His recent publications highlight a strong trend in microbial natural product discovery, with emphasis on antibiotic and anticancer agents. He frequently employs combinatorial biosynthesis and enzyme engineering to modify natural scaffolds, aiming to improve bioactivity and pharmacokinetic properties. His work bridges chemistry, microbiology, and pharmaceutical sciences, often in collaborative, multi-investigator settings.

Dr. Shaaban has mentored a significant number of trainees:

• 8 PhD students
• 8 postdoctoral fellows
• 8 visiting scholars
• 5 junior faculty
• 5 high school students

He has also managed over 10 multi-investigator projects through CPRI, fostering collaborations between chemists, microbiologists, pharmacologists, and clinicians. His leadership has been instrumental in establishing the CPRI Natural Products Repository, including infrastructure, SOPs, and a digital database for compound management.