Education

2001，B.Sc., Xiamen University;

2006, Ph.D., Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Professional Experience

2006-2011, Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School;

2011-present, Principal Investigator of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Group, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University.

Research Area

Our research is focused on two major areas: chemical biology and medicinal chemistry. At the interface of chemistry and biology, we use organic synthesis to create new chemical tools for studying biological problems in human health and disease. These functional small-molecule tools are applied to control and elucidate cellular signal transduction incancer, stem cell, and neural diseases. Second, we pursue established medicinal chemistry approaches including structure activity relationship (SAR) study and pharmacokinetics modification to optimize pre-clinical drug candidates. We're working to address the following general questions: a) How can we develop small-molecule modulators with selectivity towards desired targets such as protein kinases and epigenetic enzymes? b) How can we use discovered-small-molecule tools to dissect themolecular signaling pathways? c) How can we develop the 'lead' of targeted-drug from the tool compound?

Selected Publications

1. Wang Y, Qi S, Zhan Y, Zhang N, Wu AA, Gui F, Guo K, Yang Y, Cao S, Hu Z, Zheng Z, Song S, Xu Q, Shen Y*,Deng X*. Aspertetranones A-D, Putative Meroterpenoids from the Marine Algal-Associated Fungus Aspergillus sp. ZL0-1b14.J Nat Prod. 2015, 78(10): 2405-10.

2. Tang Q, Guo K, Li XY, Zheng XY, Kong XJ, Zheng ZH, Xu QY*,Deng X*. Three New Asperentin Derivatives from the Algicolous Fungus Aspergillus sp. F00785.Mar Drugs. 2014, 12(12): 5993-6002.

3. Guo K, Fang T, Wang J, Wu AA, Wang Y, Jiang J, Wu X, Song S, Su W, Xu Q*,Deng X*. Two new spirooxindole alkaloids from rhizosphere strain Streptomyces sp. xzqh-9.Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2014, 24(21): 4995-8.

4. Kwiatkowski, N*; Deng, X.*; Wang, J.; Tan, L.; Villa, F.; Santaguida, S.; Huang, H. C.; Mitchison, T.; Musacchio, A.; Gray, N. Selective aurora kinase inhibitors identified using a taxol-induced checkpoint sensitivity screen.ACS Chem. Biol. 2012, 7: 185-96.Rated 'recommended' 6.0 by Faculty of 1000.

5.Deng, X.*; Dzamko, N.*; Prescott, A.; Davies, P.; Liu, Q.; Yang, Q.; Lee, J. D.; Patricelli, M. P.; Nomanbhoy, T. K.; Alessi, D. R.; Gray, N. S. Characterization of a selective inhibitor of the Parkinson's disease kinase LRRK2.Nat. Chem. Biol. 2011, 7: 203-5. Rated 'recommended' 6.0 by Faculty of 1000.

6. Miduturu, C. V.*;Deng, X.*; Kwiatkowski, N.; Yang, W.; Brault, L.; Filippakopoulos, P.; Chung, E.; Yang, Q.; Schwaller, J.; Knapp, S.; King, R. W.; Lee, J. D.; Herrgard, S.; Zarrinkar, P.; Gray, N. S. High-throughput kinase profiling: a more efficient approach toward the discovery of new kinase inhibitors.Chem. Biol. 2011, 18: 868-79.

7.Deng, X.*; Wang, J.*; Zhang, J.*; Sim, T.; Kim, N. D.; Sasaki, T.; Luther, W., 2nd; George, R. E.; Janne, P. A.; Gray, N. S. Discovery of 3,5-Diamino-1,2,4-triazole Ureas as Potent Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Inhibitors.ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2011, 2: 379-384.

8.Deng, X.*;Yang, Q.*; Kwiatkowski, N.; Sim, T.; McDermott, U.; Settleman, J. E.; Lee, J. D.; Gray, N. S. Discovery of a benzo[e]pyrimido-[5,4-b][1,4]diazepin-6(11H)-one as a Potent and Selective Inhibitor of Big MAP Kinase 1.ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2011, 2: 195-200.

9. Yang, Q.*;Deng, X.*;Lu, B.*; Cameron, M.; Fearns, C.; Patricelli, M. P.; Yates, J. R., 3rd; Gray, N. S.; Lee, J. D. Pharmacological inhibition of BMK1 suppresses tumor growth through promyelocytic leukemia protein. Cancer Cell.2010, 18: 258-67.

10.Deng, X.*; Okram, B.*; Ding, Q.*; Zhang, J.*; Choi, Y.; Adrian, F. J.; Wojciechowski, A.; Zhang, G.; Che, J.; Bursulaya, B.; Cowan-Jacob, S. W.; Rummel, G.; Sim, T.; Gray, N. S. Expanding the diversity of allosteric bcr-abl inhibitors.J. Med. Chem. 2010, 53: 6934-46.

11. Deng, X.;Lim, S. M.; Zhang, J.; Gray, N. S. Broad spectrum alkynyl inhibitors of T315I Bcr-Abl.Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2010, 20:4196-200.

12. Zhang, J.; Adrian, F. J.; Jahnke, W.; Cowan-Jacob, S. W.; Li, A. G.; Iacob, R. E.; Sim, T.; Powers, J.; Dierks, C.; Sun, F.; Guo, G. R.; Ding, Q.; Okram, B.; Choi, Y.; Wojciechowski, A.; Deng, X.; Liu, G.; Fendrich, G.; Strauss, A.; Vajpai, N.; Grzesiek, S.; Tuntland, T.; Liu, Y.; Bursulaya, B.; Azam, M.; Manley, P. W.; Engen, J. R.; Daley, G. Q.; Warmuth, M.; Gray, N. S. Targeting Bcr-Abl by combining allosteric with ATP-binding-site inhibitors.Nature. 2010, 463, 501-6.

13. Wang, Q.-G.;Deng, X.-M.;Zhu, B.-H.; Ye, L.-W.; Sun, X.-L.; Li, C.-Y.; Zhu, C.-Y.; Shen, Q.; Tang, Y. Tandem Michael addition/ylide epoxidation for the synthesis of highly functionalized cyclohexadiene epoxide derivatives. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130: 5408-9.

14.Deng, X.-M.; Cai, P.; Ye, S.; Sun, X.-L.; Liao, W.-W.; Li, K.; Tang, Y.; Wu, Y.-D.; Dai, L.-X. Enantioselective synthesis of vinylcyclopropanes and vinylepoxides mediated by camphor-derived sulfur ylides: Rationale of enantioselectivity, scope, and limitation.J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128: 9730-9740.

15.Deng, X. M.; Sun, X. L.; Tang, Y. Highly regioselective rearrangement of 2-substituted vinylepoxides catalyzed by gallium(III) triflate.J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70: 6537-6540.