Courses: Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry
Research Projects: Our current projects focus on the enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) that catalyzes the oxidative deamination of the amino acid glutamate into the citric acid cycle intermediate alpha-ketoglutarate, linking amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism. Dominant gain-of-function mutations in GDH activate the enzyme and cause the rare metabolic disorder hyperinsulinism/hyperammonemia (HI/HA). Some cancer cells require GDH to obtain energy and biosynthetic material to meet their metabolic needs. We are interested in fundamental questions about GDH biochemistry as well as the development of GDH inhibitors towards new treatments for HI/HA and GDH-dependent cancers.