Dr. Hendrik Luesch explores the world’s oceans in search of the next drug discovery.
Source: UF College of Pharmacy
University of Florida Professor Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., has been jointly appointed at the Duke-NUS Medical School — a collaboration between Duke University and the National University of Singapore.
He joins a research powerhouse with a strategic focus on diseases prevalent in Southeast Asia. The appointment links UF Health to the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia, one of the world’s prime areas for marine biodiversity and natural products drug discovery research.
The appointment will allow Luesch to establish a natural products-based drug discovery laboratory at Duke-NUS, an outpost for UF’s Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, or CNPD3. He will work closely with faculty at Duke-NUS, the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine, and others. He will also collaborate with Singapore’s Experimental Drug Development Centre — hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research — a national drug discovery and development platform that works to move potential drug candidates toward commercialization.
Luesch’s appointment creates a gateway for new underwater discoveries from unexplored biodiversity.
“The ocean harbors excellent starting points for drug discovery, and with this strategic collaboration, we are poised to unlock the therapeutic potential of marine natural products and extend the impact of our work globally,” said Luesch, who also serves as the Debbie and Sylvia DeSantis Chair in Natural Products Drug Discovery and Development in the UF College of Pharmacy and director of the CNPD3.
Natural products play a key role in cancer drug discovery, and they provide the basis to combat fungal and bacterial pathogens and enhance pandemic preparedness by delivering antivirals. More than 50% of all drugs on the market are inspired by terrestrial natural products, yet the greatest chemical diversity and inspirations for new medicines originate in the ocean.
UF harbors a rich pipeline of marine preclinical assets. One of UF’s discoveries from marine cyanobacteria found off the coast of the Florida Keys served as the starting point for six FDA-approved drugs.
“We have entered a new era of natural products science, catalyzed by advances in genomic technologies and emerging computational tools that accelerate drug discovery,” said Peter W. Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm., dean of the UF College of Pharmacy. “Dr. Luesch’s appointment at Duke-NUS will position UF at the forefront in triggering a new wave of medicines.”
Added Thomas M. Coffman, M.D., Ph.D., dean of Duke-NUS: “From antibiotics to blood pressure-lowering drugs and pain medication, nature holds the key to many pressing health challenges. To further investigate the treasures on land and in the sea, we are delighted to have Dr. Luesch join our faculty. His extensive experience in marine-based drug discovery complements our expertise in plant-based biodiversity research, which is formalized through the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine and will open new avenues for collaboration across continents that will deliver new treatments for cancer patients around the world.”
Luesch joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 2005 and has published more than 180 journal articles during his career. In addition, he has secured more than $22 million in grant funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Florida Department of Health. He is also a member of the UF Health Cancer Center.