Current Capabilities
·Drug metabolism, transport and toxicology
·Gene engineering, protein purification and analysis
·Large variety of cell culture based methods, incl. cell survival and apoptosis detection, as well as cultivation of human bone cells in vitro and in ex vivo
·Small molecule isolation and identification
·Whole-cell based biotransformation and protein production by secretion
·High-throughput amenable synthesis of small molecule libraries. Synthesis of up to 2000 compounds could be achieved using various HT-amenable reactions and platforms
Non-standard Equipment
·A modern fermentation unit with several vessels up to 12 L scale
·IRORI AccuTag system
·Microwave initiator (with automated sample changer)
The research in the Bureik group encompasses two primary areas:
1) The study of human drug metabolizing enzymes and their use for organic synthesis.
A major goal in this project involves systematic testing of all variants of drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs or P450s) and UDP glycosyltransferases (UGTs) identified in Chinese patients. This is expected to aid doctors in choosing the correct dosage for patients.
2) Investigation of human CYP4Z1 and exploitation of its activity for the treatment of breast cancer.
In this project, we have successfully identified CYP4Z1 to catalyze fatty acid in-chain hydroxylase and also ether cleavage. A primary aim is to search for compounds that can act as CYP4Z1-activated prodrugs and have potential for treatment of breast cancer.
Recently published work:
In cooperation with the group of Prof. Gerhard Wolber (Free University Berlin, Germany) we recently published a homology model of a UGT1A5 variant (UGT1A5*8) which shows that the cofactor UDP-GA is placed in a much more favorable geometry in UGT1A5*8 as compared to the wild-type, thus explaining its increased catalytical activity (Yang et al., 2018):
(A) Structural homology model for UGT1A5*8 with bound cofactor Uridine-diphosphoglucoronic acid (UDP-GA). The secondary structure ribbon is shown in grey. Helix Q is highlighted in blue. The cofactor (colored turquois) is situated in the catalytic cleft between the N-terminal (left) and C-terminal (right) domains. (B) Superposition of C-terminal domains of the UGT2B7 crystal structure (yellow) and UGT1A5*8 homology model (grey) with a root-mean square root of 2. 1 Å. (C) Cofactor protein interaction diagram for UGT1A5 and UDP-GA. The glucuronic acid moiety of UDP-GA is hold in place by electrostatic interaction with Arg174 and hydrogen bonding to Ser376 and Asp397. The uridine-diphosphate moiety forms hydrogen bonds to Ser307, Leu308, His373, His377 and Gly378. Blue double-headed arrow represents electrostatic interaction. Red arrows represent hydrogen bond acceptance and green arrow hydrogen bond donation.
无内容
The research of the Chen group concerns isolation, identification, bioactivity, and mechanism of constituents from natural resources. In particular, the group focuses on functional mechanism and structure-activity relationships of macromolecules (polysaccharides and proteins) as well as small biomolecules. Methods are being developed in the group to quantify bioactivity of polysaccharides and small biomolecules from Traditional Chinese Medicine and natural resources. Additionally, the group investigates functional food and new medicine from natural sources.
Her research would be helpful to the investigation and utilization of natural resources. She has been the Primary Investigator (PI) in 15 projects such as the funds from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), National High Technology Research and Development Program ("863"Program) of China, Project of National Key Technology Research and Development Program for The 12th Five-year Plan, National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program). More than 100 research papers of Dr. Haixia Chen have been published, and 73 of the papers are published on SCI/SCIE journals with Haixia Chen being the first author or correspondence author. She has participated in 8 published books. 35 Chinese patents have been applied and 17 of them were authorized. Her papers on the study of bioactive polysaccharides have been cited by many researchers around the world and the citation frequency reached 2200 times in SCI database with H index of 25. One of her paper has been cited more than 225 times at the end of April 2019. She has been the editorial board member of some journals such as EC Pharmacology and Toxicology, Journal of Food Safety & Quality, Pharmarceutical Journal of Chinese People’s Liberationl Armay. She has also been the reviewer of NSFC, MOST and MOE and many international journals and Chinese journals such as Frontiers in Pharmacology, Food Chemistry, Carbohydrate Polymers, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Food research international, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry etc.
Our research is focused on developing and implementing proteomic strategies to gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms of diseases, especially cancer. The topics we are interested about are listed below.
1) To decipher the interactions between biological macromolecules, such as protein-protein interactions and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-protein interactions, by combing affinity purification, biological mass spectrometric analysis and bioinformatics, and also to understand their implications in cancer.
2) Systematic and comprehensive molecular profiling of tumor by multi-omics, integrating data from genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.
3) Single cell protein analysis. We employ a state-of-the-art technology called mass cytometry to analyze protein expressions in single cells. Multiplex analytical panels are designed to achieve precise sub-clustering of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and to understand tumor heterogenesis.
Research in the Clark group focuses on microbial natural products as applied to drug discovery, metabolomics, and chemical ecology. Microbes have long been a source of potent antimicrobial and anticancer agents, and we have a particular interest in marine and extremophilic microbes as a source of new drug leads. We also investigate chemical ecology: what role the metabolites serve for the microbe itself, and how are they involved in the interaction of microbes with other organisms. The group uses molecular networking and multivariate statistical techniques in all of these research avenues in order to classify samples, identify active components, and elucidate the interactions of molecules and organisms. While microbes are the primary focus of the group we also have experience working with plants and marine organisms, if there are particularly interesting ecological questions to be addressed in these areas.
Prof. Dr. Hussain Ali has been immersed in the realm of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology since 2009. His doctoral and master's thesis centered around the preparation and meticulous characterization of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems tailored for therapeutic applications. With an extensive background in nanotechnology, he brings a wealth of experience to this dynamic field.
Prof. Ali's research endeavors have gravitated toward the intricate domain of drug delivery systems. His focal points include devising innovative treatments for inflammation and cancer, employing both oral and transdermal routes. Upon joining Quaid-i-Azam University, he broadened his horizons by embarking on research addressing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) alongside inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This strategic expansion stems from the escalating prevalence of RA within the Pakistani populace. Moreover, his research interests further encompass targeted drug delivery to the brain for tackling neurological disorders. In addition to hands-on experimentation, Dr. Ali has embarked on a computational research approach to fine-tune nano-formulation optimization.
(1) Cancer Immunoengineering
(2) Non-viral Delivery of Nucleic Acid Drugs
(3) Live Cell Mediated Drug Delivery
The research in the group of Srinivasan encompasses two main areas, 1) Developing new reaction methodologies: The research topics under this area include bioorthogonal reactions, late-stage modification of advanced chemical entities, C-H activation, and high-throughput amenable synthesis – aiming at advancing the way organic molecules are made for drug discovery and chemical biology applications. 2) Inhibitor discovery based on fragment-based approaches: Design and synthesis of ‘unconventional’ fragments with rich structural diversity. These fragments will be used as a starting point towards novel inhibitors for unexplored biological targets such as the AurB-INCENP interaction.
The research in the group of Su encompasses three main areas, including a) Isolation and identification of bioactive natural compounds from medicinal plants, b) Quality control of traditional chinese medicines, 3) Research & development of new medicines of natural origin
The research in the group of Wang involves the design, synthesis, and biological activity evaluation of new compounds, with focus on industrialization of generic drugs, intermediates, and fine chemicals. Specific areas include 1) Design and synthesis of the Rho kinase inhibitor, 2) Design and synthesis of the PDE4 inhibitor, and 3) Design and synthesis of antihistamine drugs
The Zhang lab identifies and characterizes new enzymes and new metabolic pathways in nature using a combination of bioinformatics, genetic, biochemical and biophysical methods. In particular, the Zhang lab has a long term interest in metal trafficking, metalloenzymes. and their catalytic mechanisms. Other projects in the Zhang lab include synthetic biology, and immuno-based human disease diagnosis.
For more information about the Zhang Lab, please visit
The research in the group of Zhang is encompassed in the areas of chiral separation and proteomics analysis.
Expression and regulation of important enzymes in some metabolic pathways in microorganisms.
研究方向为药理毒理学，主持国自然面上项目、973计划子课题、天津市科委项目等，近5年作为唯一通讯或最后主通讯以天津大学为第一单位在《Pharmacological Reviews》杂志(IF:18，年均发文量28篇)、《Hepatology》（IF:15, 2篇）、《Nature Communications》(IF:14)、《Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research》(IF:12)等领域内顶刊发表多篇SCI论文。担任美国毒理学会官方杂志《Toxicological Sciences》副主编、美国生物化学和分子生物学会杂志《Journal of Lipid Research》编委、国内杂志《Medicine Advances》编委等。
Current Capabilities
·Drug metabolism, transport and toxicology
·Gene engineering, protein purification and analysis
·Large variety of cell culture based methods, incl. cell survival and apoptosis detection, as well as cultivation of human bone cells in vitro and in ex vivo
·Small molecule isolation and identification
·Whole-cell based biotransformation and protein production by secretion
·High-throughput amenable synthesis of small molecule libraries. Synthesis of up to 2000 compounds could be achieved using various HT-amenable reactions and platforms
Non-standard Equipment
·A modern fermentation unit with several vessels up to 12 L scale
·IRORI AccuTag system
·Microwave initiator (with automated sample changer)
The research in the Bureik group encompasses two primary areas:
1) The study of human drug metabolizing enzymes and their use for organic synthesis.
A major goal in this project involves systematic testing of all variants of drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs or P450s) and UDP glycosyltransferases (UGTs) identified in Chinese patients. This is expected to aid doctors in choosing the correct dosage for patients.
2) Investigation of human CYP4Z1 and exploitation of its activity for the treatment of breast cancer.
In this project, we have successfully identified CYP4Z1 to catalyze fatty acid in-chain hydroxylase and also ether cleavage. A primary aim is to search for compounds that can act as CYP4Z1-activated prodrugs and have potential for treatment of breast cancer.
Recently published work:
In cooperation with the group of Prof. Gerhard Wolber (Free University Berlin, Germany) we recently published a homology model of a UGT1A5 variant (UGT1A5*8) which shows that the cofactor UDP-GA is placed in a much more favorable geometry in UGT1A5*8 as compared to the wild-type, thus explaining its increased catalytical activity (Yang et al., 2018):
(A) Structural homology model for UGT1A5*8 with bound cofactor Uridine-diphosphoglucoronic acid (UDP-GA). The secondary structure ribbon is shown in grey. Helix Q is highlighted in blue. The cofactor (colored turquois) is situated in the catalytic cleft between the N-terminal (left) and C-terminal (right) domains. (B) Superposition of C-terminal domains of the UGT2B7 crystal structure (yellow) and UGT1A5*8 homology model (grey) with a root-mean square root of 2. 1 Å. (C) Cofactor protein interaction diagram for UGT1A5 and UDP-GA. The glucuronic acid moiety of UDP-GA is hold in place by electrostatic interaction with Arg174 and hydrogen bonding to Ser376 and Asp397. The uridine-diphosphate moiety forms hydrogen bonds to Ser307, Leu308, His373, His377 and Gly378. Blue double-headed arrow represents electrostatic interaction. Red arrows represent hydrogen bond acceptance and green arrow hydrogen bond donation.
The research of the Chen group concerns isolation, identification, bioactivity, and mechanism of constituents from natural resources. In particular, the group focuses on functional mechanism and structure-activity relationships of macromolecules (polysaccharides and proteins) as well as small biomolecules. Methods are being developed in the group to quantify bioactivity of polysaccharides and small biomolecules from Traditional Chinese Medicine and natural resources. Additionally, the group investigates functional food and new medicine from natural sources.
Her research would be helpful to the investigation and utilization of natural resources. She has been the Primary Investigator (PI) in 15 projects such as the funds from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), National High Technology Research and Development Program ("863"Program) of China, Project of National Key Technology Research and Development Program for The 12th Five-year Plan, National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program). More than 100 research papers of Dr. Haixia Chen have been published, and 73 of the papers are published on SCI/SCIE journals with Haixia Chen being the first author or correspondence author. She has participated in 8 published books. 35 Chinese patents have been applied and 17 of them were authorized. Her papers on the study of bioactive polysaccharides have been cited by many researchers around the world and the citation frequency reached 2200 times in SCI database with H index of 25. One of her paper has been cited more than 225 times at the end of April 2019. She has been the editorial board member of some journals such as EC Pharmacology and Toxicology, Journal of Food Safety & Quality, Pharmarceutical Journal of Chinese People’s Liberationl Armay. She has also been the reviewer of NSFC, MOST and MOE and many international journals and Chinese journals such as Frontiers in Pharmacology, Food Chemistry, Carbohydrate Polymers, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Food research international, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry etc.
Our research is focused on developing and implementing proteomic strategies to gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms of diseases, especially cancer. The topics we are interested about are listed below.
1) To decipher the interactions between biological macromolecules, such as protein-protein interactions and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-protein interactions, by combing affinity purification, biological mass spectrometric analysis and bioinformatics, and also to understand their implications in cancer.
2) Systematic and comprehensive molecular profiling of tumor by multi-omics, integrating data from genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.
3) Single cell protein analysis. We employ a state-of-the-art technology called mass cytometry to analyze protein expressions in single cells. Multiplex analytical panels are designed to achieve precise sub-clustering of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and to understand tumor heterogenesis.
Research in the Clark group focuses on microbial natural products as applied to drug discovery, metabolomics, and chemical ecology. Microbes have long been a source of potent antimicrobial and anticancer agents, and we have a particular interest in marine and extremophilic microbes as a source of new drug leads. We also investigate chemical ecology: what role the metabolites serve for the microbe itself, and how are they involved in the interaction of microbes with other organisms. The group uses molecular networking and multivariate statistical techniques in all of these research avenues in order to classify samples, identify active components, and elucidate the interactions of molecules and organisms. While microbes are the primary focus of the group we also have experience working with plants and marine organisms, if there are particularly interesting ecological questions to be addressed in these areas.
Prof. Dr. Hussain Ali has been immersed in the realm of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology since 2009. His doctoral and master's thesis centered around the preparation and meticulous characterization of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems tailored for therapeutic applications. With an extensive background in nanotechnology, he brings a wealth of experience to this dynamic field.
Prof. Ali's research endeavors have gravitated toward the intricate domain of drug delivery systems. His focal points include devising innovative treatments for inflammation and cancer, employing both oral and transdermal routes. Upon joining Quaid-i-Azam University, he broadened his horizons by embarking on research addressing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) alongside inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This strategic expansion stems from the escalating prevalence of RA within the Pakistani populace. Moreover, his research interests further encompass targeted drug delivery to the brain for tackling neurological disorders. In addition to hands-on experimentation, Dr. Ali has embarked on a computational research approach to fine-tune nano-formulation optimization.
(1) Cancer Immunoengineering
(2) Non-viral Delivery of Nucleic Acid Drugs
(3) Live Cell Mediated Drug Delivery
The research in the group of Srinivasan encompasses two main areas, 1) Developing new reaction methodologies: The research topics under this area include bioorthogonal reactions, late-stage modification of advanced chemical entities, C-H activation, and high-throughput amenable synthesis – aiming at advancing the way organic molecules are made for drug discovery and chemical biology applications. 2) Inhibitor discovery based on fragment-based approaches: Design and synthesis of ‘unconventional’ fragments with rich structural diversity. These fragments will be used as a starting point towards novel inhibitors for unexplored biological targets such as the AurB-INCENP interaction.
The research in the group of Su encompasses three main areas, including a) Isolation and identification of bioactive natural compounds from medicinal plants, b) Quality control of traditional chinese medicines, 3) Research & development of new medicines of natural origin
The research in the group of Wang involves the design, synthesis, and biological activity evaluation of new compounds, with focus on industrialization of generic drugs, intermediates, and fine chemicals. Specific areas include 1) Design and synthesis of the Rho kinase inhibitor, 2) Design and synthesis of the PDE4 inhibitor, and 3) Design and synthesis of antihistamine drugs
The Zhang lab identifies and characterizes new enzymes and new metabolic pathways in nature using a combination of bioinformatics, genetic, biochemical and biophysical methods. In particular, the Zhang lab has a long term interest in metal trafficking, metalloenzymes. and their catalytic mechanisms. Other projects in the Zhang lab include synthetic biology, and immuno-based human disease diagnosis.
For more information about the Zhang Lab, please visit
The research in the group of Zhang is encompassed in the areas of chiral separation and proteomics analysis.
Expression and regulation of important enzymes in some metabolic pathways in microorganisms.
研究方向为药理毒理学，主持国自然面上项目、973计划子课题、天津市科委项目等，近5年作为唯一通讯或最后主通讯以天津大学为第一单位在《Pharmacological Reviews》杂志(IF:18，年均发文量28篇)、《Hepatology》（IF:15, 2篇）、《Nature Communications》(IF:14)、《Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research》(IF:12)等领域内顶刊发表多篇SCI论文。担任美国毒理学会官方杂志《Toxicological Sciences》副主编、美国生物化学和分子生物学会杂志《Journal of Lipid Research》编委、国内杂志《Medicine Advances》编委等。
