Welcome

We are a young group working at the interface of chemistry and biology to uncover the roles and therapeutic potential of recently discovered microproteins, proteins composed of less than 100 amino acids encoded by small open reading frames (smORFs). Microproteins represent a new and largely unexplored frontier in biology similar to long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs before. It is therefore critical to identify, characterize, and examine the therapeutic potential of microproteins involved in disease. Our group is affiliated with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as the Department of Biological Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine. We are also part of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UCI Cancer Research Institute, thus our primary focus is on the discovery and characterization of microproteins involved in cancer. However, we are always open to forming new collaborations in other areas, so please reach out!