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The Derbyshire Lab

 

Duke University

Departments of Chemistry,

Molecular Genetics and Microbiology,

and Cell Biology

 

Welcome to the Derbyshire Lab, a collaborative, multidisciplinary research group that works at the interface of chemistry and biology to address global health problems.

We, as a whole, value and welcome people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, abilities, ethnicities, and identities. We embrace the unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that each person brings, as our individuality is crucial to our excellence as a team.

We do not tolerate, and rebuke hateful speech and actions aimed to belittle or harm any person through the use of racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, classism, or any other forms of discrimination.

As members of the Duke University community, we aim to foster inclusive environments to combat the diversity disparity and inequalities within STEM fields. For further resources addressing these issues at Duke University, see here.

Research Overview


Chemical Biology

Biochemistry - Enzymology

Image of mosquito salivary gland with GFP parasites by Dr. Dora Posfai, Duke University

Microbiology - Parasitology

Parasites infect billions of humans each year and cause several major diseases, largely in underserved populations in developing parts of the world. Malaria, in particular, is a leading cause of deaths worldwide, and its causative agents, Plasmodium parasites, are crafty as they have successfully eluded our defense mechanisms since they first infected us tens of thousands of years ago.

The Derbyshire Lab uses chemical tools and biological methods to uncover novel aspects of malaria parasite biology with the ultimate aim of identifying druggable targets. Projects range from developing assays for phenotypic and target-based screens – forward and reverse chemical genetics – to dissecting biological pathways and identifying small molecules with potential therapeutic value. Our interdisciplinary collaborative program integrates both novel and established methods to address target identification, which is one of the most challenging aspects of malaria drug discovery. Our lab’s goal is to globally interrogate parasite biology by using chemical biology, molecular biology, biochemistry and parasitology.

GFP parasite transformation in a liver cell
Dr. Dora Posfai, Duke University

Latest Publications


 

Selective Targeting of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp90 Disrupts the 26S Proteasome

 
 

Mansfield, C.R., Quan, B., Chirgwin, M.E., Eduful, B., Hughes, P.F., Neveu, G., Sylvester, K., Ryan, D.H., Kafsack, B.F.C., Haystead, T.A.J., Leahy, J.W., Fitzgerald, M.C., Derbyshire, E.R.** Selective Targeting of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp90 Disrupts the 26S Proteasome. Accepted Cell Chemical Biology 2024.

 
 
 

Ong, H.W., de Silva, C., Avalani, K., Kwarcinski, F., Mansfield, C.R., Chirgwin, M., Truong, A., Derbyshire, E.R.,** Zutshi, R.,** Drewry, D.,** Characterization of 2,4-dianilinopyrimidines Against Five P. falciparum Kinases PfARK1, PfARK3, PfNEK3, PfPK9 and PfPKB. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2023 Nov 27;14(12):1774-1784.

Team


Associate Professor

Postdoctoral Fellow

Graduate Student

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Undergraduate Student

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Undergraduate Student

 

SOCIAL


 

Latest News


SPRING 2024

Congrats to Porter Petruzziello, Isabel Colón and Xeno Hu on receiving a URS award!

Emily is honored to be selected as the 2024 Crano Memorial Lecturer.

Chris Mansfield’s paper linking Plasmodium heat shock protein 90 to proteasome stability is provisionally accepted to Cell Chemical Biology. Thankful for the outstanding collaborative team that included the Fitzgerald lab (Duke), Leahy lab (University of South Florida), Haystead lab (Duke) and Kafsack lab (Weill Cornell Medicine). Congrats all!

Erin Schroeder’s paper on the manipulation of the host vesicular trafficking network by apicomplexan parasites is accepted to mSphere. Congrats!


FALL 2023

Gaini Ibrasheva joins the lab from the Chemistry Graduate Program. Welcome!

Congrats to Dr. Aaron Keeler for successfully defending his dissertation!

Congrats to Elizabeth Boger and Porter Petruzziello on receiving a URS award!

Former Derbyshire lab undergraduate Meg Shieh received the Pfizer Emergent Leader Award! Congrats Meg!!

Aaron Keeler is selected for a Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship. Congrats!

The labs collaborative work targeting 5 Plasmodium kinases with the Drewry lab (UNC) and Luceome Biotechnologies is published in ACS Med Chem Lett!


Emily Derbyshire

ASSOCIATE Professor of Chemistry,
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, AND CELL BIOLOGY

Office Address

Duke University

3218 French Family Science Center
124 Science Drive
Durham, NC 27708
Office phone: 919.660.1511
Email: emily.derbyshireATduke.edu

Lab: 5324 French Family Science Center
Lab phone: 919.684.0413

Google Scholar

 
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Contact Us

– Prospective postdoctoral fellows please email an application to Emily.

– Prospective graduate students please consider Duke’s graduate programs in Chemistry, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Cell and Molecular Biology.

– Prospective undergraduate students should contact Emily.