Neal K. Devaraj
2018 National Award Winner — Faculty
Current Position:
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Institution:
University of California, San Diego
Discipline:
Chemical Biology
Recognized for: Transformative work on the synthesis of artificial cells and breakthroughs in bioconjugation chemistry.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise: Biomimetic Chemistry, Bioconjugation Chemistry, Molecular Imaging, Bioorthogonal Chemistry, Synthetic Biology
Neal K. Devaraj
Biography:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School
PhD, Stanford University
BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Scientists have long marveled at how non-living materials, such as simple organic molecules, assembled to form the first primitive life forms. Dr. Devaraj’s transformative work on the synthesis of artificial cells has the potential to provide new insights into understanding the origins of life and gain ground on solving one of the greatest contemporary challenges of chemistry; can we synthesize life? Along the way, he has developed new tools for labeling biomolecules that are widely used by researchers and may one day be used in the clinic to treat and detect disease.
"When I observe a cell, I marvel at how such complex sets of molecules can assemble to form a living organism. As a chemist, I wonder, what is the minimal prerequisite chemistry from which biology can emerge? Motivated by this question, my lab is developing technologies to unveil the secrets of life’s origin while simultaneously improving our understanding of modern-day biochemistry."
Key Publications:
- S. C. Alexander, K. N. Busby, C. M. Cole, C. Y. Zhou, N. K. Devaraj. Site-Specific Covalent Labeling of RNA by Enzymatic Transglycosylation. JACS, 2015, 12756-12759.
- R. J. Brea, A. K. Rudd, N. K. Devaraj. Nonenzymatic biomimetic remodeling of phospholipids in synthetic liposomes. PNAS, 2016, 8589-8594.
- J. Yang, J. Seckute, C. M. Cole, N. K. Devaraj. Live-Cell Imaging of Cyclopropene Tags with Fluorogenic Tetrazine Cycloadditions. Angewandte Chem. Int. Ed., 2012, 7476-7479.
- M. D. Hardy, J. Yang, J. Selimkhanov, C. M. Cole, L. S. Tsimring, N. K. Devaraj. Self-reproducing catalyst drives repeated phospholipid synthesis and membrane growth. PNAS, 2015, 8187-8192.
Other Honors:
2018 Magomedov-Shcherbinina Memorial Prize, University of Rochester and Bausch & Lomb, Inc.
2017 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry, American Chemical Society
2016 National Fresenius Award, Phi Lambda Upsilon
2016 NIH Pathfinder Award, National Institutes of Health
2016 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
2013 NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation
2010 NIH Research Scientist Career Development Award, National Institutes of Health
In the Media:
Huffington Post, January 25, 2012 “Artificial Cell Membrane Created in Lab”
redOrbit, June 22, 2015 “Synthetic membranes grow like living cells”
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 22, 2015 “Membranes grow like living cells”
Chemical & Engineering News, 94(30), July 25, 2016 “Synthetic cell membranes remodeled chemically”
Chemical & Engineering News, 95(1), January 02, 2017 “ACS Award in Pure Chemistry and the National Fresenius Award: Neal K. Devaraj”
Chemical & Engineering News, 95(15), April 10, 2017 “Getting GPCRs into liposomes”
Inside Science News Service, January 26, 2017 “Made in California: Everlasting Cells”