Chembio Fall 2026 Seminar Series_Guest Speaker: Dr. Chung-Han (John) Chu-National Taiwan University/Department of Chemistry-Taipei City, Tai

Event details Date: Friday, October 30, 2026 Time: 11:45 AM Location: Scott Family Hall - 2nd Floor - Sheridan Hall - Room #221 Type: Exhibits / Arts Tags: Academic Calendar, For Faculty, Seminar, Workshops & Seminars About this event “Unconventional Approaches Toward Natural Product Research" Abstract : Natural products research provides a window into exploring new reactions and chemical spaces. In this presentation, I will discuss two antibiotics along this theme. The first example concerns calcium-dependent antibiotics (CDAs), a class of peptide natural products whose antibacterial activity relies on Ca(II). By modifying the peptide sequence, we converted it into a boron-dependent antibiotic whose activity is triggered by phenylboronic acid rather than Ca(II). This reprogrammed system offered a distinct perspective on the molecular basis of CDA activation. The second example focuses on the lasso peptide MccJ25, which possess a mechanically interlocked [1]rotaxane architecture. We established new strategies for modifying this unique scaffold, allowing the preparation of new-to-nature lasso peptides through the incorporation of both canonical and noncanonical building blocks. This work provided insights into lasso peptide biosynthesis and also hints at the possibility of creating mechanically interlocked molecules for biomedical application. Official event details: https://calendar.ufl.edu/chembio/event/57174-chembio-fall-2026-seminar-series-guest-speaker-dr-chun