RESEARCH

Nature relies on 20 canonical amino acids to construct peptides, proteins, and small-molecule natural products that regulate and support life. Chemists have begun to explore noncanonical amino acids — those beyond the essential 20 — to access molecules with new and improved structures, functions, and applications in the pharmaceutical, food, material, agrochemical, and cosmetic industries.

 

Our lab leverages chemical and biochemical strategies to synthesize and utilize noncanonical amino acids within the context of valuable peptides and enzymes. The chemical transformations that we develop and the noncanonical amino acids that we study enable the synthesis of improved therapeutics and catalysts.

 

Students in the Stone Lab will learn techniques and skills in synthetic chemistry and chemical biology with a focus on chemical reaction development. This interdisciplinary research provides students with opportunities to study synthetic methods, bioorganic chemistry, peptide science, and environmentally-sustainable chemistry.