Michael E Johnson
Email Address: mjohnson@uic.eduCollege: Pharmacy Department: Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
Secondary Department: Bioengineering
Title: Professor Emeritus
Office: 3072 MBRB Phone: 6-9114
Webpage: http://mjohnson.people.uic.edu
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes
Research Interest:
My research group is focused on antibiotic and antiviral development, with particular focus on combating drug resistance. Current projects include developing FabI (enoyl reductase) inhibitors against Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumanii pathogenic bacteria, and protease inhibitors against Zika, Dengue, MERS and SARS viruses. Research methods include one or more of: (1) Computer-aided molecular design; (2) Biochemical assay development; (3) Protein expression and engineering of mutations; (4) Molecular genetics approaches for mechanism of action Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 10 Qualifications of a Student:
(1) Science or engineering major; (2) General chemistry and biology courses (if interested in computational studies, general physics will also be helpful); (3) Minimum gpa: "B" average; (4) Sophomore or higher level Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
Student will be expected to do initial literature research to understand the status and goals of project chosen. Depending on project, the student will develop a hypothesis and perform experiments or computational studies to evaluate the hypothesis. At the end of each semester, the student will be expected to do a brief presentation on their work and its results.
NOTE: This researcher is currently not accepting applications for the Undergraduate Research Experience program.
