School of Medicine


Showing 11-20 of 27 Results

  • James Ferrell

    James Ferrell

    Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology and of Biochemistry

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy lab has two main goals: to understand the regulation of mitosis and to understand the systems-level logic of simple signaling circuits. We often make use of Xenopus laevis oocytes, eggs, and cell-free extracts for both sorts of study. We also carry out single-cell fluorescence imaging studies on mammalian cell lines. Our experimental work is complemented by computational and theoretical studies aimed at understanding the design principles and recurring themes of regulatory circuits.

  • Alex Gao

    Alex Gao

    Assistant Professor of Biochemistry

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsNature has created many powerful biomolecules that are hidden in organisms across kingdoms of life. Many of these biomolecules originate from microbes, which contain the most diverse gene pool among living organisms. We are integrating high-throughput computational and experimental approaches to harness the vast diversity of genes in microbes to develop new antibiotics and molecular biotechnology, and to investigate the evolution of proteins and molecular mechanisms in innate immunity.

  • Pehr Harbury

    Pehr Harbury

    Associate Professor of Biochemistry

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsScientific breakthroughs often come on the heels of technological advances; advances that expose hidden truths of nature, and provide tools for engineering the world around us. Examples include the telescope (heliocentrism), the Michelson interferometer (relativity) and recombinant DNA (molecular evolution). Our lab explores innovative experimental approaches to problems in molecular biochemistry, focusing on technologies with the potential for broad impact.

  • Daniel Herschlag

    Daniel Herschlag

    Professor of Biochemistry and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering
    On Leave from 06/01/2023 To 04/30/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research is aimed at understanding the chemical and physical behavior underlying biological macromolecules and systems, as these behaviors define the capabilities and limitations of biology. Toward this end we study folding and catalysis by RNA, as well as catalysis by protein enzymes.

  • Chaitan Khosla

    Chaitan Khosla

    Wells H. Rauser and Harold M. Petiprin Professor and Professor of Chemistry and, by courtesy, of Biochemistry

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch in this laboratory focuses on problems where deep insights into enzymology and metabolism can be harnessed to improve human health.

    For the past two decades, we have studied and engineered enzymatic assembly lines called polyketide synthases that catalyze the biosynthesis of structurally complex and medicinally fascinating antibiotics in bacteria. An example of such an assembly line is found in the erythromycin biosynthetic pathway. Our current focus is on understanding the structure and mechanism of this polyketide synthase. At the same time, we are developing methods to decode the vast and growing number of orphan polyketide assembly lines in the sequence databases.

    For more than a decade, we have also investigated the pathogenesis of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine, with the goal of discovering therapies and related management tools for this widespread but overlooked disease. Ongoing efforts focus on understanding the pivotal role of transglutaminase 2 in triggering the inflammatory response to dietary gluten in the celiac intestine.

  • Peter S. Kim

    Peter S. Kim

    Virginia and D. K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry
    On Partial Leave from 09/01/2023 To 06/30/2024

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe are studying the mechanism of viral membrane fusion and its inhibition by drugs and antibodies. We use the HIV envelope protein (gp120/gp41) as a model system. Some of our studies are aimed at creating an HIV vaccine. We are also characterizing protein surfaces that are referred to as "non-druggable". These surfaces are defined empirically based on failure to identify small, drug-like molecules that bind to them with high affinity and specificity.

  • Silvana Maria Konermann

    Silvana Maria Konermann

    Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
    On Leave from 04/25/2022 To 04/24/2024

    BioSilvana is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford and Executive Director and Core Investigator at Arc Institute. Her research laboratory aims to understand the molecular pathways that drive the development of Alzheimer’s disease using next-generation functional genomics, with the long-term goal of developing rationally targeted therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from MIT. Silvana’s pioneering work on tools to directly perturb the transcriptomic landscape of the cell using CRISPR has been recognized by her faculty appointment as a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator and Hanna Gray Fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

  • Mark Krasnow

    Mark Krasnow

    Paul and Mildred Berg Professor

    Current Research and Scholarly Interests- Lung development and stem cells
    - Neural circuits of breathing and speaking
    - Lung diseases including lung cancer
    - New genetic model organism for biology, behavior, health and conservation

  • I Lehman

    I Lehman

    William M. Hume Professor in the School of Medicine, Emeritus

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe study Herpes simplex virus type 1 as a model eukaryotic chromosome for the analysis of eukaryotic DNA replication and recombination

  • Lingyin Li

    Lingyin Li

    Associate Professor of Biochemistry

    BioDr. Li is an associate professor in the Biochemistry Department and ChEM-H Institute at Stanford since 2015. Her lab works on understanding biochemical mechanisms of innate immunity and harnessing it to treat cancer. She majored in chemistry at University of Science and Technology of China and graduated with a B. En in 2003. She then trained with Dr. Laura Kiessling, a pioneer in chemical biology, at University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a Ph.D in chemistry in 2010. She obtained her postdoctoral training with Dr. Timothy Mitchison at Harvard Medical School, who introduced her to the field of chemical immunology.