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Emily R. Derbyshire

Eads Family Professor
Chemistry
3218 French Science Center, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


The Derbyshire Lab uses both chemical tools and biological methods to uncover novel aspects of malaria parasite biology with the ultimate aim of identifying druggable targets. Projects range from developing assays for phenotypic and target-based screens to exploring biological pathways and identifying small molecules with potential therapeutic value. Their interdisciplinary collaborative program integrates chemical biology, molecular biology and biochemistry to globally interrogate parasite biology.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Eads Family Professor · 2024 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Chemistry · 2024 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology · 2024 - Present Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Basic Science Departments
Associate Professor of Cell Biology · 2022 - Present Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2021 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published February 3, 2025
Celebrating Duke’s New Full Professors
Published September 21, 2021
Meet the Newly Tenured Faculty of 2021
Published February 18, 2021
The Potential of Trinity's 2021 Sloan Fellowship Winners

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Recent Publications


Hyperpolarized 15N2-Diazirine-Tagged MRI Probe for Monitoring γ-Glutamyl Transferase Activity.

Journal Article ACS Sens · February 6, 2026 The enzyme γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) plays an important role in redox homeostasis and is overexpressed in many different cancers. The ability to assess GGT activity provides critical insights into cancer prognosis and pathology. Here, we present a novel ... Full text Link to item Cite

Investigation of a cryptic ligand binding site on Plasmodium falciparum Hsp90.

Journal Article Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry · December 2025 The molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) has an important role in maintaining proteostasis in Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria, and is of interest as a potential antimalarial drug target. Inhibitors targeting its well-char ... Full text Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


University of California, Berkeley · 2008 Ph.D.
Trinity College · 2002 B.S.