UH Drug Discovery Institute

Refine. Reshape. Reimagine. Those three words define the University of Houston, particularly when it comes to what the world knows about medicine. And over the past year, UH has been at the forefront of groundbreaking medical research that could change how we tackle everything from cancer and infectious disease to autoimmune disorders and antibiotic resistance.

For example, UH scientists have studied the effectiveness of new drugs like Ibezapolstat, an antibiotic that fights the deadly superbug Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, which pushes the boundaries of how medicines are delivered and how they work inside the body. This type of work is why UH is gaining national recognition as a leader in unearthing medical revelations.

New Drug, Old Foe

While Ibezapolstat was originally developed by Acurx Pharmaceuticals in 2018, university researchers have been instrumental in leading the clinical studies to evaluate the drug’s effectiveness.

C. diff is the nation’s leading cause of death from gastroenteritis, causing an estimated 453,000 infections per year and 29,300 deaths. It causes gastrointestinal illness ranging from diarrhea and abdominal pain to toxic megacolon, sepsis and death.

And over the past few years, the antibiotics designed to fight it, including fidaxomicin and vancomycin, have been waning — until now.

“Both vancomycin and fidaxomicin are associated with emerging antimicrobial resistance. C. diff infection recurrence is associated with increased mortality, decreased quality of life and higher health care costs,” said Kevin Garey, Robert L. Boblitt Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery at the UH College of Pharmacy. “New antibiotics are urgently needed.”

Enter Ibezapolstat, which Garey said has thus far proven to be a promising development. So far, the drug has been able to kill off harmful C. diff bacteria without harming the good bacteria in the gut that protect against C. diff infections.

“For the first time ever in clinical trial drug development, we focused on microbiome changes in healthy subjects given Ibezapolstat and had distinctly different microbiome changes that predicted better success rates,” Garey said. “We were able to show in a mouse model that these microbiome changes were distinct from other C. diff-directed antibiotics.”

Lessons in Lupus

Tianfu Wu, a UH biomedical engineer in the Cullen College of Engineering, is in the middle of developing a method that will change how we medicate patients with lupus, thanks to a $1 million Impact Award from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Lupus is a debilitating autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own healthy tissues. Patients experience extreme fatigue, joint pain and swelling, rashes and organ damage.

Wu is working on a process that sends medication directly to the spleen, which filters out old or damaged blood cells while housing millions of white blood cells that carry out immune system functions — it’s also where certain immune cells cause lupus.

The plan is to use tiny fat-based particles, or lipid nanoparticles, modified with mannose, a simple sugar, to carry medicine directly to the spleen and target B cells, which are critical immune cells thought to drive lupus.

“The primary aim is not only to advance treatment strategies for lupus, but also to deepen our understanding of lupus pathogenesis,” Wu said. “This innovation will pave the way for treating lupus by targeting organ-specific molecular pathways, recognizing that the same drug target may have opposing roles in different organs, such as the spleen versus end-organs like the kidney, heart or central nervous system.”

Into the Next Generation

Improving how the world approaches medicine is nothing new to UH — it’s a fundamental part of the culture.

In recent years, research teams led by Navin Varadarajan, M.D. Anderson Professor of William A. Brookshire Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, discovered new ways to prevent and treat respiratory viruses by use of nasal sprays.

The NanoSTING nasal spray is a broad-spectrum immune activator for controlling infection against respiratory viruses, and NanoSTING-SN, a pan-coronavirus nasal vaccine, can protect against infection and disease by all members of the coronavirus family.

And before that, Varadarajan’s team discovered a new subset of T cells that could help improve the outcome for cancer patients treated with T cell-based immunotherapy.

These breakthroughs are not isolated successes; they are the result of a massive, collaborative ecosystem. This vital work is happening daily in labs across the entire university — from the colleges of medicine and pharmacy to engineering and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Whether it is developing mechanistically novel inhibitors for prostate cancer, creating microfluidic platforms for CAR T therapy, or engineering new treatments for vascular disease, UH scientists are working across disciplines to ensure the next generation of medicine is safer, more targeted and more effective than ever before.

From developing a vaccine to fight fentanyl to writing national guidelines for pharmacists to address opioid use disorder, UH is taking the lead in battling what the Centers for Disease Control call an opioid overdose epidemic, one that has claimed hundreds of thousands nationwide.

Over 150 people die every day from overdoses of synthetic opioids including fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Consumption of about 2 milligrams of fentanyl (1/10th the weight of one grain of rice) is likely to be fatal depending on a person’s size.

Driven by purpose and the art of innovation, researchers at UH are developing life-changing solutions to provide hope and healing amid a public health emergency that has taken an enormous human toll.

Fentanyl Vaccine in Clinical Trials

Inside the UH Drug Discovery Institute, Colin Haile, research associate professor of psychology and a founding member of the institute, developed a vaccine targeting fentanyl that could block its ability to enter the brain, thus eliminating the drug’s “high” and potential deadly effects due to overdose.

The breakthrough discovery could have major implications for the nation’s opioid epidemic.

“Our discovery is bringing hope to patients and their families, turning complex science into lifesaving medicine,” said Haile, who is also co-founder and scientific adviser of ARMR Sciences, the company that licensed the vaccine. Haile added that the vaccine could also protect the military against the drug’s use as a chemical threat along with first responders and police who encounter unknown substances.

Haile’s vaccine is undergoing its first human clinical trial at the Center for Human Drug Research, affiliated with the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. If successful, the work could accelerate approval of other drug vaccines, such as those for cocaine and methamphetamine currently in development, according to Haile.

"If we can tackle the primary ones — fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine — we will be saving hundreds of thousands of lives," he said.

UH College of Pharmacy Set National Standard

With approximately 2.7 million people in the U.S. affected by opioid use disorder, the need for effective management strategies has never been more urgent.

Enter the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. Researchers there have written new practice guidelines for pharmacists to allow more lifesaving drugs like buprenorphine to be dispensed in community pharmacies. Published by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the new guide targets barriers to treatment in community pharmacies where many do not stock needed medications.

“The PhARM-OUD Guideline marks a significant advancement as the first consensus, evidence-based practice guideline specifically tailored for community pharmacists to eliminate confusion and fear surrounding the dispensing of buprenorphine,” said Douglas Thornton, associate professor and director of the UH Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research (PREMIER) Center.

The guidelines urge pharmacists to reduce stigma associated with dispensing buprenorphine, to improve their understanding of state and federal regulations, and to enhance communication with health care providers.

“There is a sense of urgency in the guidelines to address knowledge gaps that have historically hindered pharmacists from providing OUD treatment, while at the same time encouraging pharmacists to confidently engage in patient-centered care,” said Thornton.

Developed through a collaborative effort with an expert panel that includes psychiatrists, psychiatric pharmacists, and representatives from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the National Community Pharmacists Association, the guideline reflects a comprehensive approach to pharmacy practice for patients with OUD. The American Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, and Vital Strategies, a leading global public health organization, have all expressed support for the guidance.

Exploring Higher Rates of OUD in HIV Patients

Down the hall at the UH College of Pharmacy, Dipali Rinker, research associate professor and member of the PREMIER Center, is leading the university’s participation in a $21.2 million Texas effort to tackle the opioid epidemic by examining opioid use disorder among people living with HIV in Harris County and integrating prevention.

Harris County has higher numbers of drug poisoning-related deaths due to commonly prescribed opiates, heroin, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids than any other public health region in the state.

Of the approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., nearly twice as many are likely to misuse opioids as people not living with HIV.

“There are shared risk factors in both disease states with a high likelihood of pain among people living with HIV leading to opioid prescriptions,” said Rinker. “Then in seeking treatment for opioid use disorder, people living with HIV are more likely to experience stigma, social marginalization and discrimination due to their dual diagnosis.”

Rinker, along with co-investigators from Baylor College of Medicine Bich Dang, M.D. and Shital Patel, M.D., who is also director of the Houston AIDS Education & Training Center, will seek to determine the extent to which Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment is implemented into the treatment of people living with HIV and opioid use disorder. They will assess the program among patients engaged in treatment at one of five Ryan White-funded clinics in Houston and Harris County.

The Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council awarded 109 grants to entities that are working on solutions to the epidemic. These funds were made available through the Short-term Community-based Opioid Recovery Effort grant opportunity.

In fact, the money comes from opioid lawsuits.

Machine Learning Tracks Heroin-included Brain Disruption

A mathematics lab doesn’t seem the most natural place to study the impact of heroin addiction on the brain, but that’s what’s happening in Professor Demetrio Labate’s math lab. He is leading a team collaborating with researchers at the University of Cincinnati to create step-by-step procedures, or algorithms, that power computers to map changes in the brain from heroin addiction.

“We are applying object recognition technology to track changes in brain cell structure and provide new insights into how the brain responds to heroin use, withdrawal and relapse,” said Labate. “Our insights could transform treatment options.”

The team is focusing on astrocyte cells, which can protect brain health and undergo vast structural rearrangements following drug use.

“By uncovering how astrocytes are altered by heroin use, we’re opening new doors not just for addiction research, but for understanding the brain’s response to a wide range of drugs and neurological conditions,” said Michela Marini, a UH doctoral student and first author of the published research. “This kind of work is essential for developing more effective drug addiction treatments in the future.”

Along with Marini, Labate’s team includes doctoral student Heng Zhao and colleague Yabo Niu, who has a dual appointment in the Department of Mathematics and the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine’s Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences.

Key Takeaways

• Loss-of-function in epicardial proteins called Numb Family Proteins leads to left ventricular noncompaction, or spongy heart, presenting with pediatric-onset heart failure.
• The loss of function is caused by disrupted fibroblast signaling, highlighting this pathway as a potential therapeutic target.
• Deeper understanding of epicardial–myocardial crosstalk may enable future strategies for intervention in both congenital LVNC and adult heart disease driven by epicardial dysfunction.

A University of Houston pharmacology researcher and expert in cardiac development has identified a new cause of — and repair for — left ventricular non-compaction, also known as spongy heart disease. The new therapeutic approach, performed in utero, may prevent babies from being born with this life-threatening disease, which often causes the dire need for a heart transplant.

The disease, the third-most prevalent pediatric heart disease, develops when the heart’s left ventricle develops improperly, becoming spongy and thick rather than smooth and firm. This causes an inability in the heart to contract and relax properly and to efficiently pump blood.

“We found that the loss of function in certain proteins, called Numb Family Proteins, which are found inside epicardial cells and help the heart develop properly, leads to non-compaction cardiomyopathy, presenting with pediatric-onset heart failure,” reports Mingfu Wu, professor of pharmacology in the journal Circulation Heart Failure.

“This disfunction is caused by disrupted signaling of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF), highlighting this pathway as a potential therapeutic target," said Wu. FGFs are a group of proteins crucial for the normal development of the embryonic heart.

Wu and graduate student Anika Nusrat examined Numb expression in epicardial cells and found that the depletion of the proteins led to an absence of fibroblast and a reduced FGF signaling in the myocardium and a lack of communication among the fibroblast and all the other cell types in the heart. It is vital for that communication to take place in order for the heart to develop properly.

“Our results indicate this loss of NFPs prevented epicardial cells from entering the myocardium, which led to a lack of fibroblasts in the trabeculae, which supports blood flow while the coronary system is still forming,” said Wu. “This impairment ultimately resulted in a spongy heart. When FGF is given from outside the body to the pregnant mother, it can partially fix the problem, preventing a spongy heart.”

Wu said deeper understanding of epicardial–myocardial crosstalk may enable future strategies for intervention in both congenital left ventricular non-compaction and adult cardiomyopathies driven by epicardial dysfunction.

This is a new cause of LVNC discovered by Wu. In previous research he found the absence of a certain gene, called Itgb1, may cause inability in the developing heart to maintain its shape and develop normally, resulting in the condition. In previous research he found the absence of a certain gene, called Itgb1, may cause inability in the developing heart to maintain its shape and develop normally, resulting in the condition

The American Academy of Microbiology, a leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), has elected University of Houston College of Pharmacy Professor Vincent H. Tam, Pharm.D., FIDSA, FIDP, BCIDP, to the Fellowship Class of 2026. 

Fellows are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Tam is the only Pharm.D. among this year’s 63-member cohort.

The academy fellowship is one of the highest honors in the microbial sciences, recognizing leaders whose work has significantly shaped research, policy and practice in microbiology and infectious diseases.

“I am deeply honored by this election and grateful to join a cohort of scientists I so highly admire,” Tam said. “This peer recognition is a meaningful testament to the years I have dedicated to microbiology research, and it inspires my continued dedication to advancing the field.”

Tam is internationally recognized for his research in antimicrobial pharmacodynamics, resistance suppression and precision dosing strategies designed to optimize antimicrobial therapy. His work integrates microbiology, pharmacology and mathematical modeling to improve treatment outcomes while combating the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. His scholarship has influenced clinical practice guidelines and helped shape stewardship strategies aimed at preserving the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.

Over the course of his career, Tam has secured more than $12 million in research funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, private foundations and the pharmaceutical industry. His body of work includes more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, eight book chapters and two U.S. patents. He has mentored numerous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career investigators who now contribute to infectious diseases research and clinical practice nationwide.

Tam’s previous honors include the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Therapeutic Frontiers Lecture Award (2024); Fellow of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (2024); the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation Literature Award for Sustained Contributions (2019); Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2018); membership on the ASHP Best Practices Award-winning team at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (now CHI St. Luke’s Baylor Medical Center) Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Epidemiology (2010); and the University of Houston Awards for Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (2008 and 2025).

“Academy Fellows are leaders in their field whose work influences the direction of scientific discovery and its role in society,” said Vanessa Sperandio, Ph.D., Chair of the Academy Governors. “Election to the Academy is a significant professional milestone, and I am delighted to welcome Vincent Tam as a member of the 2026 Cohort.”

The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of over 38,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences. ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to all audiences.

With nearly $1 million in federal funding, a University of Houston researcher will study the connection between an enzyme found in cancerous tumors and immune cells of lupus patients — innovative research that could transform how lupus is diagnosed and treated.

Awarded September 1 from the U.S. Department of Defense, the $999,932 grant will support the work of Associate Professor Dr. Weiyi Peng, whose research aims to reshape understanding of lupus biology, improve patient monitoring and potentially accelerate treatment by repurposing existing cancer drugs.

Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus, is a chronic autoimmune disease in which immune cells mistakenly attack healthy tissue. The disease — which can affect the kidneys, heart, lungs, skin, joints or brain — impacts an estimated 1.5 million Americans and at least 5 million people worldwide, according to the Lupus Foundation of America.

“With this funding, we can make our idea eventually translate into the clinical setting and benefit more lupus patients,” said Peng, who directs both the Drug Discovery Institute and Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling at UH.

Explaining the Mechanisms

Associate Professor Dr. Weiyi Peng (third from right) poses with her team for a portrait. Order of team from left to right: Debanwita Burman, Chitra, Ashley Guerrero, Weiyi Peng, Jiakai Hou and Ningbo Zheng.

Peng’s work builds on her background in cancer immunology. In previous studies, she found that many tumors overexpress protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), an enzyme that alters the function of other proteins and promotes tumor growth when abnormally elevated.

Recent studies show that PRMT5 is also overactive in the immune cells of lupus patients and mouse models, leading Peng to believe the enzyme may play a critical role in lupus profession. Over the next four years, her team will:

• Determine whether PRMT5 inhibitors — already in clinical trials for cancer — can slow or reduce lupus disease progression.
• Investigate whether PRMT5-modified proteins generate new autoantibodies that could serve as biomarkers to diagnose lupus, assess disease severity and monitor treatment response.

The Bigger Picture

Peng will collaborate with Dr. Chandra Mohan — a leading lupus researcher at UH — and physicians from UT Southwestern Medical Center and UTHealth Houston. Together, the multidisciplinary team will study archived samples from approximately 100 lupus patients.

“This is definitely a team effort with different multidisciplinary experts to eventually ensure the success of the project,” Peng said.

Peng is one of two UH researchers to receive federal funding this year for lupus research. Biomedical engineer Tianfu Wu received a $1 million Impact Award from the DOD to develop a new drug delivery system that targets the spleen, where certain immune cells contribute to lupus.

Accelerating advancements in cancer prevention and cures, Wei Gao, assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, has received a $900,000 grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to develop stronger and more targeted anti-tumor therapy for pancreatic and lung cancer.

Pancreatic and lung cancers are among the deadliest cancers, partly because they create an environment that shields tumors from the immune system. One key player in this immune suppression is the regulatory B cell (Breg) — a type of immune cell that actually helps tumors grow by blocking the body’s natural defenses.

Wei Gao, assistant professor of pharmacology, center, with her team of doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows (l-r) Dan Wang, Xinxin Deng, Jenny Hu and Feixiang Chen.   

Some newer treatments, called STING agonists, are meant to activate the immune system but have limited success because they unintentionally increase Bregs, don’t reach tumors effectively and can cause serious side effects.

“To address these challenges, our team developed Nano-273, a dual-function nanodrug packaged in a tiny albumin-based particle. Nano-273 both activates STING and blocks PI3Kγ—a pathway that drives Breg expansion, while albumin nanoparticles help deliver the drug directly to immune cells, reducing unwanted side effects,” said Gao. “This approach reduces harmful Bregs while boosting immune cells that attack cancer, leading to stronger and more targeted anti-tumor responses.”

In early studies, Nano-273 showed strong tumor-shrinking effects in pancreatic and lung cancer models, especially when combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. It also extended survival and showed low toxicity.

To move these promising results closer to clinical use, Gao’s team will carry out several critical preclinical steps:

• Improve the production of Nano-273, ensuring it is consistently made with high quality for future clinical trials
• Test how well Nano-273 works when combined with standard treatments like chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors in pancreatic and lung cancer models
• Conduct safety studies

“If successful, this project could lead to a new type of immunotherapy that offers lasting tumor control and improved survival for patients with pancreatic and lung cancers, two diseases that urgently need better treatments,” said Gao.

Since 2007 when it was established by the Texas Legislature, CPRIT has invested in the research prowess of Texas universities and research organizations; created and expanded life science infrastructure across the state; expedited innovation in research; and enhanced the potential of breakthroughs in cancer prevention and cures.

On March 5, the University of Houston Drug Discovery Institute hosted John Buolamwini, Ph.D. for a research talk entitled: “Discovery and Optimization of Small Molecule Drug Leads and Probes.”

Buolamwini's multidisciplinary approach integrates synthetic medicinal chemistry, computational modeling, and experimental techniques to target a variety of chronic diseases, including ischemic heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer’s. 

Buolamwini’s talk opened with a discussion of human concentrative nucleoside transporters (hCNTs) and the necessity of understanding their structure. Buolamwini explained how homology models for hCNT1, hCNT2, and hCNT3 were constructed using the crystal structure of a similar transporter in Vibrio cholerae bacteria as a template. Validation of these models was conducted through docking experiments with known inhibitors, revealing promising correlations, particularly for hCNT1. Subsequent virtual screening using the hCNT1 model identified 14 new inhibitors, showing the potential of these methods in drug discovery targeting nucleoside transporters. 

Buolamwini also discussed another area of his research which focuses on targeting  the constantly active STAT3 pathway in Glioblastoma (GBM), a tumor affecting the brain or spine. Buolamwini introduced SS-4, a novel small molecule designed to disrupt the STAT3-SH2 domain interaction. Computational modeling demonstrated SS-4's efficacy in blocking the activation of the STAT3 protein at low concentrations. In vitro studies confirmed SS-4's ability to suppress GBM cell proliferation and induce apoptosis (i.e., cell death), and in vivo experiments highlighted the potential of SS-4 as a therapeutic agent for GBM treatment. 

Throughout the talk, Buolamwini emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex medical challenges. His innovations in drug design and discovery offer a promising outlook for improved patient outcomes through the development of novel therapeutics. 

John Buolamwini, Ph.D. is chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Rosalind Franklin University. He has held faculty positions in the United States for the past 30 years, including the University of Mississippi and the University of Tennessee, where he served as the Vice Chair and Director of Graduate Programs of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences from 2012-2014. 

A University of Houston engineering professor is examining the life cycle of stubborn, drug-resistant persister cells in recurrent infections to find a way to destroy them. Persister cells are non-growing cell subpopulations observed in many pathogenic bacteria and they certainly live up to their name – they persist, and are not fazed by current medications. Scientists believe they cause the recurrence of chronic health issues like airway infections in cystic fibrosis patients, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis.

“If we know how persister cells are formed, we can target their formation mechanisms to eliminate these dangerous cell types,” said Mehmet Orman, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, who is using a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to explore persister cells.

Orman believes that self-digestion, or autophagy, stimulates persister formation. In self-digestion, cells recycle essential energy molecules by eating their own protein, lipids or other bits to stay alive or temporarily survive under starvation conditions. Self-digestion is triggered by extracellular stress conditions, such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia and overpopulation.

Orman will map the self-digestion-related mechanisms in E. coli to understand how self-digestion is linked to persister cell formation. Then, he will therapeutically explore these mechanisms to identify chemical compounds that can eliminate persister cells.

“Mapping of this comprehensive bacterial pathway from its initial exogenous trigger, through its signal transduction, to the source of antibiotic tolerance, will enable us to develop affective anti-persister therapeutics,” said Orman.

Self-digestion inflicts damage on the cells and can make the cells dormant, putting them in a sleeping mode, and these dormant cells are not effected by antibiotics. The bacterium is less fit to produce protein and resume growth upon exposure to fresh nutrients, providing temporary protection against antibiotics until the self-inflicted damage is repaired. 

From an evolutionary perspective, self-digestion is an important survival mechanism. This complex process, which is orchestrated by many regulatory proteins and enzymes, has been well documented in mammalian cells, but largely ignored in bacteria. “By integrating our expertise in bacterial cell biology with advanced current technologies, we aim to decipher the key components of this pathway to provide a clear and much-needed picture of bacterial self-digestion mechanisms,” said Orman.

Orman, himself, is persistent. Previously he developed methods to directly measure the metabolism of persister cells. He has also discovered that persisters are mostly derived from stationary-phase cells with high metabolic activities maintained by self-digestion.

On Tuesday, April 23, the UH Drug Discovery Institute hosted Sharath Hegde of Congruence Therapeutics for a research talk titled “Discovering Impactful Medicines: Many Paths, Same Goal.” 

Hegde’s talk opened with an overview of the drug development process, in which he contextualized high attrition rates in pre-clinical and clinical testing phases. While there are over 1,000 drug companies internationally, only 55 novel drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2023. Hegde estimated that for every 100,000 potential compounds for novel drugs, only one is demonstrated to be safe and efficacious in the target patient population at the intended therapeutic dose. 

The talk then transitioned into a discussion of four different paths to drug discovery— phenotypic screening, repurposing existing drugs, utilizing a fast-follower approach and taking a target-driven approach. For each method of drug discovery, Hegde described in detail case studies of approved medicines and shared insights from his own drug development experiences. The seminar concluded with practical considerations for drug-hunting, such as decision-making with imperfect data and optimizing optionality and focus. 

Sharath S. Hegde, Ph.D. is Chief Scientific Officer at Congruence Therapeutics and a passionate drug hunter who has participated in the discovery of several NCEs including the marketed medicines Vibativ® (telavancin), Yupelri® (revefenacin) and Aloxi® (palonosetron). He obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Houston. Hegde has extensive experience in seeding new project ideas and driving the discovery of first-in-class/best-in-class drugs in multiple therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, respiratory, genitourinary and gastrointestinal diseases. He is the co-author of over fifty scientific publications. 

On March 26, the UH Drug Discovery Institute hosted Dan Monticello of GlycosBio for a research seminar titled “Lipid Engineering to Create New Therapeutics and Other Useful Products.”

In this talk, Monticello described enzyme-based processes to enhance the nutritional and therapeutic properties of lipids— plant and animal fats. GlycosBio has developed a library of proprietary lipids designed to enhance the performance of personal care molecules, including the ability to selectively unlock antimicrobial properties of natural materials for therapeutic benefit.

Studies show improved bioavailability in oils for cystic fibrosis patients and species-specific antimicrobial activity for rebalancing microbiomes. Studies have also targeted strep throat, RSV, and dental caries. Monticello also described how lipids may be engineered to interact with the skin, increasing their permeability to a range of hydrophobic molecules from hydrocortisone to CBD. Vegetable oils can also be modified to act as latex-compatible lubricants to replace silicone oils.

Daniel J. Monticello, Ph.D. is Chief Scientific Officer at GlycosBio Inc. in the Texas Medical Center. He obtained his B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Georgia before joining Miles Laboratories in Indiana. Monticello has co-founded several biotechnology companies. He is inventor or co-inventor on over 40 issued or pending U.S. patents.