Dr. Yuhong Du

Yuhong Du, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Emory University and Associate Director and co-Founder of the Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center (ECBDC). Dr. Du’s research focuses on developing high throughput technologies and model systems for chemical probe discovery and therapeutic development. She directs the daily operation of ECBDC and plays a critical role in multiple team science programs, including the current NIH supported TREAT-AD consortium. Dr. Du received her PhD from the National University of Singapore with her dissertation on the mechanism of action of anticancer agents. As a postdoctoral fellow in Pharmacology at Emory University, Dr. Du studied molecular mechanisms that control cell survival signaling and gained her expertise in using high throughput screening (HTS) and high content screening (HCS) technologies for biological research. In 2003, Dr. Du played an essential role in demonstrating Emory’s capabilities in HTS and HCS and in establishing the research center, ECBDC, to promote chemical biology and drug discovery research across Emory. Her critical contributions have led to the successful competition of the Emory Center to become one of nine national centers within the Molecular Library Screening Centers Network (MLSCN) at the NIH, later as a part of an eleven-member NCI Chemical Biology Consortium (NCI CBC) and a member of the NCI Cancer Target Discovery and Development network (NCI CTD2). In these national programs, Dr. Du led the HTS and HCS operations to advance the goals of the respective programs. In support of biological and therapeutic discovery research, Dr. Du’s research team has developed a large number of innovative HTS and HCS assays and carried out streamlined HTS and HCS campaigns. Examples include the discovery of small molecule probes for eI4E/eI4G interaction, NOX2 inhibitors, and inhibitors of delta-secretase for Alzheimer's disease. She has recently developed a 3D organoids culture and screening platform in a 1536-well ultra-HTS format to facilitate small molecule modulator discovery with a biologically relevant model system. Under her leadership, ECBDC has grown to become a technology and drug discovery enabling hub and a training site for students and postdoctoral fellows to advance chemical biology and therapeutic innovation.