Jianfeng Cai
Jianfeng Cai
Assistant Professor
Contact
Office: BSF 313
Lab: BSF 339,341
Phone: 813/974-9506
Email:
Links
Education
B.S., Nanjing University, 1997
M.S., Nanjing University, 2000
Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, 2006
Advisor: John-Stephen A. Taylor
Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University, 2007-2009
Advisor: Andrew D. Hamilton
Research
1. Design of small molecules mimicking EGF and EGFR as potential anti-cancer agents
The principal goal of this project is to develop small synthetic agents that can recognize the exterior surface of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR). We intend to design small synthetic agents that can compete with natural partners and in doing so disrupt cancer-related EGF-EGFR interactions. The strategy can be extended to discover agents to modulate other medicinally relevant protein-protein interactions.
2. Design of novel non-natural peptidomimetics mimicking bioactive peptides
The principal goal of this project is to design novel peptidomimetics that mimic the distance relationships and relative positions of amino acid side chains along natural peptides. Such peptide mimics may be used as a valuable tool to probe or modulate cellular processes such as protein-protein interactions and cell signaling. They also have great potential to identify novel drug candidates or lead compounds. The primary aim in this project is to expand upon this growing research area in chemical biology.
3. Development of activity based probes (ABP) and inhibitors for BACE- Alzheimer's disease ß-secretase enzyme
The principal goal of this project is to develop activity based probes specifically for ß-secretase. Through rational design, we seek to identify probes and inhibitors specifically targeting ß-secretase to dissect functional roles of ß-secretase. Such probes and inhibitors may lead to novel therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease. The strategy of probe design may be used to develop novel probes and inhibitors for other proteases.
Current Funding
View our currently funded projects here.
Graduate Students
Ge Bai, Frankie Costanza, Yaogang Hu, Tamalia Julien, Yaqiong Li, Shruti Padhee
Current Courses
Recent Publications
- Jianfeng Cai, Brooke Rosenzweig, and Andrew D. Hamilton. "Inhibition of Chymotrypsin by a self-assembled DNA quadruplex functionalized with cyclic peptide binding fragments" Chem. Eur. J., 2009, 15(2), 328-332.
- Jianfeng Cai, Erik M. Shapiro, and Andrew D. Hamilton. "Self-assembled DNA quadruplex conjugated to MRI contrast agent" Bioconjugate Chem., 2009, 20(2), 205-208.
- Jianfeng Cai, Xiaoxu Li, and John Stephen Taylor. "Improved nucleic acid triggered probe activation through the use of a 5-thiomethyluracil peptide nucleic acid building block" Org. Lett., 2005, 7(5), 751-754.
- Jianfeng Cai, Xiaoxu Li, Xuan Yue, and John Stephen Taylor. "Nucleic acid-triggered fluorescent probe activation by the Staudinger reaction" J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2004, 126(50), 16324-16325.