James Janetka, PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

Washington University in St. Louis (WU)

We are interested in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease. One aim of our current research focuses on the identification of unconventional allosteric inhibitors of the trypsin-like serine proteases, HGFA, matriptase, and hepsin. These proteases are up-regulated in many invasive cancers and regulate the activation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and macrophage stimulating protein (MSP-1). Another aim of our research centers on the developing small-molecule antagonists of the UPEC bacterial adhesion protein FimH for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI).