Mark D. Distefano

Mark D. Distefano serves as a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Distinguished University Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. He has maintained a continuous faculty position since 1992, progressing from Assistant Professor to his current full Professor rank. His research program focuses on protein prenylation, a critical post-translational modification that anchors proteins in cellular membranes and enables essential signaling processes.

Distefano received his B.A. in Biochemistry and Chemistry from UC Berkeley (1979-1984), followed by a Ph.D. in Chemistry from MIT (1984-1989), and postdoctoral training at Caltech (1989-1992). His laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach combining organic synthesis, biochemistry, proteomics, and cell culture techniques to investigate protein prenylation mechanisms and therapeutic applications.

The Distefano Research Group maintains two primary research thrusts: Chemical Biology and Biotechnology Applications, with implications for cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and infectious disease therapeutics. Recent work has centered on developing synthetic probes to study protein-lipid modifications, revealing novel enzymes involved in isoprenoid metabolism and their connections to immune response and viral infection pathways.

His major scientific contributions have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards:

• American Chemical Society Fellow (2014)
• Distinguished McKnight University Professor (2011)
• Merck Professor of Chemistry (2011)
• Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Distinguished Teaching Professor (2006)
• George W. Taylor/ITAS Award for Distinguished Teaching (2004)
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1994)

Distefano has mentored 32 PhD students to completion, with recent graduates including Schey, Garrett (2023) and Bader, Taysir (2023). He maintains active affiliations with the Medicinal Chemistry Graduate Program, Microbial Biotechnology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota Biotechnology Institute, and University of Minnesota Cancer Center. His laboratory operates with a structured team approach, assigning specific equipment and safety responsibilities to different group members to ensure research productivity and proper facility management.