Margaret A. Phillips

Margaret A. Phillips is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she also holds a secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Pharmacology. She holds the prestigious Sam G. Winstead and F. Andrew Bell Distinguished Chair in Biochemistry. Dr. Phillips has been a tenured Professor at UT Southwestern since 2002 and serves as Section editor of PLoS Pathogens while also sitting on the editorial boards of PLoS Neglected Diseases and mSphere.

• B.S. in Biochemistry from University of California, Davis (1981)
• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from University of California, San Francisco (1988)
• Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biochemistry (1988-1992)

Dr. Phillips' research program focuses on biochemistry and drug discovery targeting parasitic protozoa, with particular emphasis on malaria and African sleeping sickness (caused by Trypanosoma brucei). Her laboratory investigates polyamine and nucleotide metabolism in these pathogens to identify novel metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms that can be exploited for therapeutic intervention. The Phillips Lab has made significant contributions to understanding the biochemistry of polyamine biosynthesis and pyrimidine metabolism in protozoan parasites, leading to the development of novel inhibitors that target essential enzymes in these pathways.

An analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors for malaria treatment and chemoprevention, with several compounds advancing through preclinical development. Her work spans both basic biochemical research to understand parasite metabolism and translational studies to develop novel therapeutics. Recent publications demonstrate her leadership in identifying drug resistance mechanisms and developing biomarkers to monitor drug target engagement.

Dr. Phillips serves as a mentor to numerous researchers in her laboratory and collaborates extensively with scientists worldwide to advance the fight against protozoan parasites. Her laboratory is part of the Biophysics Graduate Program and Biological Chemistry Graduate Program at UT Southwestern, contributing to the training of the next generation of scientists in parasitology and drug discovery.