The Hughes lab conducts drug design in collaboration with medicinal chemists. We also investigate how drugs alter the receptors they bind to using various biochemical and biophysical experimental methods, as well as molecular dynamics simulations. We connect these drug-induced biophysical changes with functional outcomes in cell culture (e.g., through measurement of transcription). Our primary methods are multidimensional protein NMR, fluorine NMR, computational simulations, isothermal titration calorimetry, time-resolved FRET, fluorescence polarization, cell culture, and transcriptome analysis. We focus on the nuclear hormone receptor family, which is the molecular target of more than 10% of FDA-approved drugs. Our work improves the biophysical understanding of how drugs produce effects in this family, which aids the development of new therapies with reduced undesired effects. Current work mainly focuses on one member of this family, PPARγ, which binds the prescription anti-diabetes drugs pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia). 

PHAR 329 (Microbes and Medicines)

BCH 294 (Biochemistry Seminar: Intro to Biochemistry Faculty Research)

BMED 615 (Molecular Pharmacology)