skip to content »

Department of Pharmacology

Houston, Texas

BCM students are involved in research.
Pharmacology
not shown on screen

Yongcheng Song, Ph.D.

Photograph of Dr. Yongcheng Song

Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology

ysong@bcm.edu

Education and Employment

  • B.S., 1993, Inorganic Chemistry, Nanjing University, China
  • Ph.D., 2001, Organometallic/Medicinal Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • Postdoctoral, 2001-2002, Organic Synthesis, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
  • Postdoctoral, 2003-2004, Medicinal Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Research Scientist, 2005-2008, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Assistant Professor, 2008-present, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Awards

  • 2001-2002, JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • 2005-2008, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Special Fellowship, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • 2009-2010, Junior Faculty Seed Grant, Baylor College of Medicine

Past Research

At the National University of Singapore, Dr. Song developed asymmetric synthesis of a class of P-chiral phosphine molecules with potential as anti-cancer drugs. After receiving my doctorate, I had a two-year postdoctoral training at the Tokyo institute of Technology on the development of novel asymmetric organic synthesis mediated by an organo-titanium reagent. The methods were then applied to the total synthesis of natural products, such as alkaloids and vitamin D.

As a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he focused on rational, computer-aided drug design and discovery and, in particular, on the development of bisphosphonates and phosphonosulfonates as anti-infective and anti-cancer agents. One of the highlights of this research was the discovery of phosphonosulfonates as inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus dehydrosqualene synthase, the first committed enzyme in the biosynthesis of staphyloxanthin, an important virulence factor of this major human pathogen. The significance of this research is demonstrated by the recent publications of the work in Science [link] and J. Med. Chem.

Current Research Interests

In general, Dr. Song's is interested in rational design and development of small molecule inhibitors of novel, biologically important enzymes. These compounds will be used as chemical probes to investigate the functions of biological targets in vitro and in vivo (Chemical Biology), or further developed to become clinically useful drugs (Drug Discovery/Development). These goals will be achieved by using a combination of rational, computational drug design, synthetic chemistry, biological activity testing and protein x-ray crystallography. We have wide collaborations with BCM investigators (Dr. Palzkill, Dr. Prasad, Dr. Estes, Dr. Dong and Dr. Tweardy) as well as several outside investigators.

Our active research projects are:

1. Coordination chemistry and structure based approach to the design and discovery of novel small molecule inhibitors of metalloenzymes known to be targets for developing anti-infective or anti-cancer drugs. We have recently found, for the first time, a novel, lipophilic inhibitor of DXR, which has a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. This work has been published in J. Med. Chem. as a Letter [link].

2. Design and develop inhibitors of enzymes in the non-mevalonate isoprene biosynthesis pathway, which is essential for most pathogenic bacteria and malaria parasites.

3. Design and develop novel epigenetic modulators targeting leukemic stem cells.



Lisheng Deng, Ph.D., postdoctoral associate in the lab of Dr. Yongcheng Song, is shown with the department's new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Machine.

Dr. Song’s representative publications:

  1. Deng, L.; Sundriyal, S.; Rubio, V.; Shi, Z.; Song, Y.* Coordination Chemistry Based Approach to Lipophilic Inhibitors of 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate Reductoisomerase. J. Med. Chem., 2009, in press. [PubMed] [DOI]
  2. Feng, Q.; He, B.; Jung, S.-Y.; Song, Y.; Qin, J.; Tsai, S. Y.; Tsai, M.-J.; O'Malley, B. W. Biochemical control of CARM1 enzymatic activity by phosphorylation. J. Biol. Chem. 2009, in press. [PubMed] [link]
  3. Song, Y., Liu, C.I., Lin, F.Y., No, J.H., Hensler, M., Liu, Y.L., Jeng, W.Y., Low, J., Liu, G.Y., Nizet, V., Wang, A.H., Oldfield, E. Inhibition of staphyloxanthin virulence factor biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus: in vitro, in vivo, and crystallographic results. J. Med Chem., 2009, 52, 3869-80. [PubMed] [DOI]
  4. Song, Y.,Lin, F.Y., Yin, F., Hensler, M., Rodrígues Poveda, C.A., Mukkamala, D., Cao, R., Wang, H., Morita, C.T., González Pacanowska, D., Nizet, V., Oldfield, E. Phosphonosulfonates are potent, selective inhibitors of dehydrosqualene synthase and staphyloxanthin biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Med Chem., 2009, 52, 976-88. [PubMed] [DOI]
  5. Liu, C.I. †; Liu, G.Y. †; Song, Y. †; Yin, F.; Hensler, M.; Jeng, W.-Y.; Nizet, V.; Wang, A.H.J.; Oldfield, E. A cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitor blocks Staphylococcus aureus virulence Science, 2008, 319, 1391-1394. (†these authors contributed equally) [PubMed] [DOI]
  6. Guo, R.T.; Cao, R.; Liang, P.H.; Ko, T.P.; Chang, T.H.; Hudock, M.P.; Jeng, W.Y.; Chen, C.K.M.; Zhang, Y.; Song, Y.; Kuo, C.J.; Yin, F.; Oldfield, E; Wang, A.H.J. Bisphosphonates target multiple sites in both cis- and trans-prenyltransferases Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2007, 104, 10022-7. [PubMed] [DOI]
  7. Zhang, Y. †; Leon-Rossell, A. †; Song, Y. †; Studer, D.; Oldfield, E. Activity of Nitrogen-Containing and Non-Nitrogen Containing Bisphosphonates on Tumor Cell Lines J. Med. Chem., 2006, 49, 5804-5814. (†these authors contributed equally) [PubMed] [DOI]
  8. Kotsikorou, E. †; Song, Y. †; Chan, J.M.W.; Faelens, S.; Tovian, Z.; Broderick, E.; Bakalara, N.; Docampo, R. and Oldfield, E. Bisphosphonate Inhibition of the Exopolyphosphatase Activity of the Trypanosoma brucei Soluble Vacuolar Pyrophosphatase J. Med. Chem., 2005,48, 6128-6139. (†these authors contributed equally) [PubMed] [DOI]
  9. Wouters, J.; Yin, F.; Song, Y.; etc. A Crystallographic Investigation of Phosphoantigen Binding to Isopentenyl Pyrophosphate/Dimethylallyl Pyrophosphate Isomerase J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127, 536-537. [PubMed] [DOI]
  10. Song, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, H.; Raker, A.; Sanders, J.; Broderick, E.; Clark, A.; Morita, C.; Oldfield, E. Synthesis of Chiral Phosphoantigens and Their Activity in γδT Cell Stimulation. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 2004, 14, 4471-4477. [PubMed] [DOI]
  11. Song, Y.; Okamoto, S.; Sato, F. Highly Stereoselective Asymmetric Construction of an Acyclic Carbon Skeleton Having Two Adjacent Alkyl Substituents by Michael Addition of Optically Active Allenyltitaniums to Alkylidenemalonates Org. Lett., 2001, 3, 3543-3545. [PubMed] [pdf]
One Postdoctoral Research Associate position in Protein Crystallography is available at Department of Pharmacology (PI: Dr. Yongcheng Song). The successful candidate is expected to have good experience (more than three years) and a strong track record of publications in the field and able to work independently. Experience in cocrystallization with small molecule inhibitors/ligands is a plus. Basic molecular biology/biochemistry techniques (cloning, construction of protein expression plasmids, western blot, etc) are required. The main duties are to clone, express and purify biologically important proteins and obtain their x-ray crystal structures with novel small molecule inhibitors. If interested, he/she can be trained in computational, structure based drug design and medicinal chemistry. The position is immediately available (can start later). If interested, please e-mail C.V. including a complete list of publications and names/contact information of three references to ysong@bcm.edu. To apply, please go to the Baylor College of Medicine Job Site, create an application and apply for vacany number 191218JC.

E-mail this page to a friend