University of Florida · PharmacologyMarine Drug Discovery Unit
Hendrik Luesch · Gainesville, Florida
Research Focus
Dr. Hendrik Luesch's lab at the University of Florida focuses on discovering new anticancer drugs from marine cyanobacteria, which are special microorganisms that produce unique chemical compounds. By studying these organisms, the team aims to find and develop innovative therapies that can effectively target cancer, particularly drug-resistant forms. Their research combines ecology, genomics, and synthetic chemistry to unlock the therapeutic potential hidden in marine biodiversity.
marine cyanobacteriaanticancer agentsdrug discoverynatural productsbiodiversitysynthetic biologygenomicschemical ecologyscreening platformsdrug resistance
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify potential drug compounds produced by marine cyanobacteria.
AIM 02Develop novel anticancer agents targeting new binding sites on tubulin.
AIM 03Optimize lead compounds through rational chemical modifications.
AIM 04Conduct preclinical studies to evaluate efficacy and safety of drug candidates.
AIM 05Establish an integrated platform for screening and characterizing bioactive natural products.
Skills the Lab Values
chemical extractionlibrary preparationNMR spectroscopymass spectrometrycell culturein vitro assayssynthetic biology techniquesLC-MS metabolomicsbioinformaticspreclinical pharmacology
Output against the department
Publications263top 31% of dept.142nd of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations11ktop 36% of dept.166th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.