Every two minutes, a child loses their life to malaria. Despite being one of the oldest known diseases, effective long-term treatments remain elusive due to recurring drug resistance. One major problem is that the parasite's biology is not fully studied. Our research applies advanced protein biochemistry techniques to uncover the structural and functional foundations of parasite proteins that can be targeted for new, life-saving antimalarial therapies. 

We study essential enzymes from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, two major STI pathogens that are increasingly resistant to existing treatments. Our focus is on proteins that regulate energy, nucleotides, and redox balance- processes critical for bacterial survival. We aim to identify new drug targets that can help overcome antimicrobial resistance and guide the development of next-generation therapeutics. 

Our research focuses on cardiac diseases that disproportionately affect minority populations, such as Chagas disease and hypertensive heart disease. By integrating proteomics, genomics, and data science, we aim to uncover the unique biological features that may predispose African American and Latin American populations to HHD.