Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Wells Lab Shows How Oxygen Deprivation Rewires Pancreatic Tumors

Wed May 28, 2025
Wells

Jim Wells, PhD

Recently published findings reveal how the hypoxic, or low-oxygen, environment characteristic of pancreatic cancer reshapes the proteolytic landscape of the tumor, a discovery that could translate into better diagnostic tools or treatments.

James Fraser Honored with Carl Brändén Award from The Protein Society

Tue May 27, 2025
Fraser

James Fraser, PhD

The Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences chair was honored for pioneering advances in room-temperature X-ray data collection techniques and ensemble modeling methods, which have enabled deeper understanding and engineering of proteins. He has also been a champion of collaborative,...

Proactive, Personalized, Precise: AI and Collaborative Research is Revolutionizing ALS Care

Thu May 1, 2025
Cindy Chew

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Professors Steven Altschuler, PhD, and Lani Wu, PhD

Serendipitous teamwork between Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Professors and lab partners Steven Altschuler, PhD, and Lani Wu, PhD, and Catherine Lomen-Hoerth, MD, PhD, director of the ALS Center at UCSF, is developing a new approach to classifying and treating the complex neurodegenerative...

Could this Molecule be ‘Checkmate’ for Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2?

Thu Apr 24, 2025
Craik

Charles Craik, PhD

Powerful drug candidates perform better than Paxlovid against SARS-CoV-2 and could head off future coronavirus pandemics. The research, from a team at UCSF and Gladstone Institutes that includes School of Pharmacy researchers, has stalled since the grant was cut.

How to Choose a Disease-Fighting Molecule

Mon Apr 21, 2025

The Science of Smell: Q&A with Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD

Tue Apr 8, 2025
Manglik holding beaker
Erin Lubin

Manglik at his lab at the UCSF Mission Bay campus.

We asked the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry associate professor how helping to uncover the fundamental principles of our smell perception could improve understanding of how other proteins in the body recognize small molecules, including potential new drugs.

Koda-Kimble Seed Award Fuels 11 Innovative Projects

Mon Mar 31, 2025
Eleven innovative projects with the potential to further the mission of the UCSF School of Pharmacy in new ways will garner a financial boost from the 2025 Mary Anne Koda-Kimble Seed Award for Innovation.

Decoding COVID-19: QBI Researchers Pave the Way for New Drug Discoveries to Combat Virus

Tue Mar 11, 2025
Krogan (left) in his lab with Xu (right)
Susan Merrell

Nevan Krogan, PhD, left, director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute and founder of the UCSF Coronavirus Research Group, and Jiewei Xu, specialist in the department of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, worked around the clock mapping human proteins with the goal of finding a drugs to prevent COVID from replicating.

The QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG) fast-tracked antiviral drug discovery by partnering with scientists around the globe and around the clock, deepening understanding of how viruses attack cells and shaping the future of pandemic preparedness.

Lessons Learned: Five Years of COVID-19 Research and Response at UCSF

Tue Mar 11, 2025
SARS-CoV-2
National Institutes of Health
UCSF School of Pharmacy experts share their perspectives on the lessons learned from the pandemic and the evolving role of pharmacy in strengthening public health, advancing scientific discovery and preparing for future global challenges.

UCSF School of Pharmacy Leads in NIH Funding for 45th Consecutive Year

Wed Feb 26, 2025
Krogan and lab member
Noah Berger

Nevan Krogan, PhD, speaks with a research associate in his lab.

The UCSF School of Pharmacy continues to lead the country in competitive federal research funding among pharmacy schools, capturing $45.8 million in 2024 to fuel life-changing drug discoveries, bioengineering, pharmacokinetics and more.

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