Since 2001, Georgia Tech's Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB) has had the distinct honor and pleasure of hosting world-renowned speakers for the IBB Annual Distinguished Lecture. This series brings nationally and internationally recognized leaders in bioengineering and bioscience to provide their perspective on the future of biotechnology. 

Michael E. Jung
Walter and Shirley Wang Chair in Medicinal Drug Discovery 
Distinguished Professor 
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 
University of California, Los Angeles

“Drug Discovery in Academia: Some Success Stories” 





September 18, 2025
11:00 a.m.
Petit Biotechnology Building
315 Ferst Drive NW, Nerem Atrium
Atlanta, GA 30332

The lecture will explore the process of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery in academia, highlighting some notable success stories.

The majority of the research personnel in the Jung lab are currently engaged in two general fields of interest: the development of new synthetic methods for the total synthesis of biologically active natural products and synthetic medicinal chemistry. They are pursuing the use of new methods for the total synthesis of several molecules with promising biological activity, e.g., parthenolide, rugulosone, and gymnostatin G. They have several collaborative programs in medicinal chemistry, e.g.: a) the preparation and testing of novel small molecule androgen receptor antagonists which inhibit the growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer; b) the preparation of analogues of metformin that show great promise as antitumor agents; c) the preparation and testing of new selective binders for the estrogen receptor as potential anti-breast cancer agents and agents to treat multiple sclerosis; d) the preparation of analogues of parthenolide which have been shown to kill cancer stem cells; e) the development of inhibitors of deoxycytidine kinase for the treatment of leukemia; f) the synthesis of small molecules, e.g., esters of alpha-ketoglutarate, which extend the life span of animals via a novel mechanism; g) the preparation of small molecules which differentiate stem cells into osteoblasts for bone growth; h) the design and preparation of small molecule inhibitors of the growth of many enveloped viruses and also specifically for enteroviruses; i) the design and preparation of small molecule inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatase-sigma (PTP-sigma) as agents to increase stem cell production; j) the design and synthesis of novel small molecule radiomitigators; k) the development of small 'read-through' molecules which allow the production of full-length dystrophin for the treatment of muscular dystrophy; l) the preparation and testing of small molecule which upregulate the production of Sirt1 for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease; m) the preparation of molecules that bind to the Sortase-A binding pocket as potential antibacterial agents; n) small molecules which activate NPEPPS and destroy tau and phospho-tau for the treatment of Alzheimers Disease; o) small molecule inhibitors of ENPP1, a phosphatase that is important in ectopic calcification; and p) small molecule that inhibit the activity of the ASTER group of protein for cholesterol trafficking and homeostasis.

BIO
Professor Jung was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, which may explain his gastronomic proclivities. He received a B.A. from Rice University in 1969 working with Richard Turner on polyolefinic cyclization to diterpenes of the kaurene type. As an NSF Predoctoral Fellow, he worked under the direction of Gilbert Stork at Columbia University on the use of vinyl silanes as annulation reagents, receiving his Ph.D. in 1973. In 1974, after a one-year NATO postdoctoral stint with Albert Eschenmoser at the ETH in Zürich, he joined the faculty at UCLA where he is currently a Distinguished Professor and the Walter and Shirley Wang Chair in Medicinal Drug Discovery. Jung will receive the 2025 National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society.

Past Distinguished Lecturers

2024 - Richard Shen, RS Technology Ventures
2023 - Elaine Fuchs, NAS, NAM
2022-2023 - Paula T. Hammond, NAE, NAS, NAM, NAI
2021 - Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, NAE, NAM, NAI
2020 - Paused for pandemic
2019 - Wendell Lim, HHMI
2018 - Elias Zerhouni, NAM, NAE, Director of NIH
2017 - Michael DeBaun, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
2016 - Kristi Anseth, HHMI, NAS, NAM, NAE
2015 - Cori Bargmann, HHMI, NAS
2014 - Joseph DeSimone, NAE, NAS, NAM
2013 - Thomas Cech, NAM, NAS, Nobel Laureate
2012 - David Mooney, NAE, NAM
2011 - Subra Suresh, NAE, Director of NSF
2010 - Ronald McKay, NIH NINDS
2009 - Phillip Sharp, NAS, NAM, Nobel Laureate
2008 - George Whitesides, NAE, NAS
2007 - Shu Chien, NAE, NAS, NAM
2006 - Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate, Secretary of Energy
2005 - Leroy Hood, NAE, NAS, NAM
2004 - Bruce Alberts, President of NAS
2003 - Sir Richard Sykes, Royal Academy of Engineering
2002 - Arthur Collins, CEO Medtronic
2001 - Kenneth Shine, NAS, President of IOM