Profiles
Yali Kong, PhD
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Graduate Education
- Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
Postdoctoral Education
- Postdoctoral training, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Lab Location
Lewis Hall, Room 3185
Research Interests
Our laboratory focuses on drug discovery and development. We specialize in designing and synthesizing small molecules as therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and various other diseases. We have expertise in applying organic chemistry to solve biomedical problems.
- Breast and prostate cancer drug development: We focus on identifying and developing novel therapeutic agents specifically tailored for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.
- Targeting oxidative stress in radiation injury, inflammation, and fibrosis: We aim to understand and target the detrimental effects of oxidative stress in conditions such as radiation injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Our research focuses on developing novel molecules that can mitigate these effects and promote healing.
- Drug formulation and drug delivery: We have expertise in formulating drugs and optimizing drug delivery system. This involves designing efficient and effective methods for delivering therapeutic agents to their intended targets, enhancing their bioavailability, and ensuring maximum efficacy.
- Theranostic agent development: Our research focuses on designing and synthesizing multifunctional molecules that can serve both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. By integrating diagnostic capabilities into these molecules, we aim to enable early disease detection, monitoring of treatment response, and real-time assessment of therapeutic efficacy.
Keywords: Drug discovery; Organic synthesis; Medicinal chemistry; Drug formulation; Drug delivery
Relevant Publications
- Kong, Y.; Smith, J.; Li, K.; Cui, J. Han, J.; Hou, S.; Brown, M. L. Development of a novel near-infrared fluorescent theranostic Combretastatin A-4 analogue, YK-5-252, to target triple negative breast cancer, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry; 2017, 25 (7), 2226-2233.
- Tosso, P. N.; Kong, Y.; Scher, L.; Cummings, R.; Schneider, J.; Rahim, S.; Paige, M.; Holman, K.T.; Wang, K.; Aykut Üren, A.; Jeffrey Toretsky, A.; Brown, M. L. Synthesis and Structure Activity Relationship Studies of Small Molecule Disruptors of EWS-FLI1 Interations in Ewing Sarcoma. J. Med. Chem. 2014, 57 (24), 10290-10303.
- Kong, Y.; Yenugonda, V. M.; Deb, T. B.; Yang, Y.; Riggins, R. B.; Brown, M. L. Trans-resveratrol boronic acid exhibits enhanced anti-proliferative acitivity on estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Cancer Bio. Ther. 2012, 13 (10), 925-34.
- Kong, Y.; Jung, M.; Kang, W.; Grindrod, S.; Velena, A.; Lee, S. A.; Dakshanamurthy, S.; Yang, Y.; Miessau, M.; Zheng, C.; Dritschilo, A.; Brown, M. L. Histone deacetylase cytoplasmic trapping by a novel fluorescent HDAC inhibitor; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2011, 10 (9), 1591-1599.
- Erkizan, H. V.; Kong, Y.; Merchant, M.; Schlottmann, S.; Barber, J. S.; Abaan, O. D.; Chou, T.; Dakshanamurthy, S.; Brown, M. L.; Uren, A.; Toretsky, J. A. Small molecule designed to disrupt oncogenic transcription factor EWS-FLI1 interaction with RNA helicase A inhibits Ewing’s Sarcoma; Nature Medicine, 2009, 15 (7), 750-756.
- Kong, Y.; Grembecka, J.; Edler, M. C.; Hamel, E.; Mooberry, S. L.; Sabat, M.; Rieger, J.; Brown, M. L. Structure Based Discovery of a Boronic Acid Bioisostere of Combretastatin A-4; Chemistry & Biology. 2005, 12 (9), 1007-1014.
Graduate Education
- Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
Postdoctoral Education
- Postdoctoral training, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Lab Location
Lewis Hall, Room 3185
Research Interests
Our laboratory focuses on drug discovery and development. We specialize in designing and synthesizing small molecules as therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and various other diseases. We have expertise in applying organic chemistry to solve biomedical problems.
- Breast and prostate cancer drug development: We focus on identifying and developing novel therapeutic agents specifically tailored for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.
- Targeting oxidative stress in radiation injury, inflammation, and fibrosis: We aim to understand and target the detrimental effects of oxidative stress in conditions such as radiation injury, inflammation, and fibrosis. Our research focuses on developing novel molecules that can mitigate these effects and promote healing.
- Drug formulation and drug delivery: We have expertise in formulating drugs and optimizing drug delivery system. This involves designing efficient and effective methods for delivering therapeutic agents to their intended targets, enhancing their bioavailability, and ensuring maximum efficacy.
- Theranostic agent development: Our research focuses on designing and synthesizing multifunctional molecules that can serve both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. By integrating diagnostic capabilities into these molecules, we aim to enable early disease detection, monitoring of treatment response, and real-time assessment of therapeutic efficacy.
Keywords: Drug discovery; Organic synthesis; Medicinal chemistry; Drug formulation; Drug delivery
Relevant Publications
- Kong, Y.; Smith, J.; Li, K.; Cui, J. Han, J.; Hou, S.; Brown, M. L. Development of a novel near-infrared fluorescent theranostic Combretastatin A-4 analogue, YK-5-252, to target triple negative breast cancer, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry; 2017, 25 (7), 2226-2233.
- Tosso, P. N.; Kong, Y.; Scher, L.; Cummings, R.; Schneider, J.; Rahim, S.; Paige, M.; Holman, K.T.; Wang, K.; Aykut Üren, A.; Jeffrey Toretsky, A.; Brown, M. L. Synthesis and Structure Activity Relationship Studies of Small Molecule Disruptors of EWS-FLI1 Interations in Ewing Sarcoma. J. Med. Chem. 2014, 57 (24), 10290-10303.
- Kong, Y.; Yenugonda, V. M.; Deb, T. B.; Yang, Y.; Riggins, R. B.; Brown, M. L. Trans-resveratrol boronic acid exhibits enhanced anti-proliferative acitivity on estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Cancer Bio. Ther. 2012, 13 (10), 925-34.
- Kong, Y.; Jung, M.; Kang, W.; Grindrod, S.; Velena, A.; Lee, S. A.; Dakshanamurthy, S.; Yang, Y.; Miessau, M.; Zheng, C.; Dritschilo, A.; Brown, M. L. Histone deacetylase cytoplasmic trapping by a novel fluorescent HDAC inhibitor; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2011, 10 (9), 1591-1599.
- Erkizan, H. V.; Kong, Y.; Merchant, M.; Schlottmann, S.; Barber, J. S.; Abaan, O. D.; Chou, T.; Dakshanamurthy, S.; Brown, M. L.; Uren, A.; Toretsky, J. A. Small molecule designed to disrupt oncogenic transcription factor EWS-FLI1 interaction with RNA helicase A inhibits Ewing’s Sarcoma; Nature Medicine, 2009, 15 (7), 750-756.
- Kong, Y.; Grembecka, J.; Edler, M. C.; Hamel, E.; Mooberry, S. L.; Sabat, M.; Rieger, J.; Brown, M. L. Structure Based Discovery of a Boronic Acid Bioisostere of Combretastatin A-4; Chemistry & Biology. 2005, 12 (9), 1007-1014.