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Pei Zhou

Professor of Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Duke Box 3711, Durham, NC 27710
270 Sands Building, Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Grants


Interferon-inducible cell-autonomous immunity to cytosolic bacterial pathogens

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases · 2024 - 2028

Inhibiting Rev1-mediated DNA translesion synthesis for cancer therapy

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2024 - 2028

Structural and Functional Analysis of Nucleocytoplasmic Protein O-Glycosyltransferases in Plants

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2023 - 2027

Duke ACS Institutional Research Grant

ResearchSignificant Contributor · Awarded by American Cancer Society, Inc. · 2024 - 2026

Mechanistic Insights into the Plant Disease Resistance Mediated by NPR1

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2022 - 2026

Molecular mechanism of cephalosporin resistance of N. gonorrhoeae conferred by mutated PBP2

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of South Alabama · 2022 - 2026

MRI: Acquisition of a Microscale Thermophoresis System

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2022 - 2025

Mechanism of carbon skeleton formation in molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis

ResearchCollaborating Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

Method development for automatic assignment and structure determination in protein NMR

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · 2022 - 2024

Biochemical and functional investigation of the novel enzymatic activities of Mesh1

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2024

Therapeutic targeting of MESH1 in renal cell carcinoma

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Department of Defense · 2020 - 2023

The regulation dephosphorylated-CoA-capped RNA and innate immunity by MESH1

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2023

Discovery and validation of broadly effective LpxH inhibitors as novel therapeutics against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2023

Testing D5 compounds in a human version of a published ELISA system

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by D5 Therapeutics, Inc · 2021 - 2022

IND-enabling studies of the potent LpxC inhibitor LPC-233 as a novel antibiotic against Gram-negative pathogens

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Valanbio Therapeutics, Inc. · 2020 - 2022

Deep Topological Sampling of Protein Structures - non-competing renewal for Year 4

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2022

Structure-Function Analysis of Chlamydia Secretion Chaperones

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2022

Organization and Function of Cellular Structure

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1975 - 2020

Biochemistry and Structure of Lipid A Enzymes

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2020

Molecular targets in peptidoglycan synthesis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Medical University of South Carolina · 2016 - 2020

Discovery and validation of broadly effective LpxH inhibitors as novel therapeutics against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative pathogens

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2019

Targeting Rev1-mediated Translesion Synthesis for Cancer Therapy

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2017

LpxC inhibitors as a novel class of antibiotics against N. gonorrhoeae

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2011 - 2017

Preliminary Safety Screening of Duke PlxC inhibitors as Novel Antibiotics against Gram-negative Pathogens

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2015 - 2016

Structural Biology and Biophysics Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1994 - 2015

Biosynthesis And Function Of Lipopolysaccharides

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1994 - 2015

High sensitivity multi-purpose electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy for biotechnological and biomedical research

EquipmentCollaborating Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2014 - 2015

Automated detection of protein crystals in high-throughput crystallography experiments

ResearchMajor User · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2014 - 2015

New Console and Cold Probe for the Duke 600 MHz NMR Spectrometer System

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2014

Structural and Biochemical Studies of LpxC Inhibition

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2003 - 2014

Lipid A Modification Systems in Gram-Negative Bacteria

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1995 - 2013

Automated NMR Assignment and Protein Structure Determination

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2006 - 2012

Structural, Biochemical and Functional Studies of RNAPII CTD Interacting Proteins

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2008 - 2012

Replacement Equipment Components for an 800 MHz NMR Spectrometer

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2010 - 2011

Regulation of Germline Stem Cell Division in Drosophila

ResearchConsultant · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1996 - 2006

Structure and Regulation of hsp90 Chaperones

ResearchConsultant · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2005 - 2005

External Relationships


  • D5 Therapeutics
  • LVM Biosciences
  • Valanbio Therapeutics

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.