2024
December
Congratulations to Dr. Ashna Garg on successfully defending her doctoral thesis and being awarded with Chemistry Award for Outstanding Service for the academic year 2024 during the Chemistry Department convocation.
July
Congratulations to Dr. Kalani Jayanetti on successfully defending her doctoral thesis and being honored with the Maria Tzamaioudaki Memorial Award for Outstanding Doctoral Student for the academic year 2024 during the Chemistry Department convocation.
Congratulations to the Stony Brook Research Team and Artelo Biosciences on FDA Approval for ART26.12 Phase 1 Trials!
ART26.12, an anti-nociceptive compound developed through a collaboration between the Ojima and Kaczocha research groups at Stony Brook University, has received FDA approval to begin Phase 1 human clinical trials. The compound is part of a series of FABP5 inhibitors designed to target FABPs in the endocannabinoid system, addressing pain and inflammation, including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
This groundbreaking compound stems from Stony Brook’s innovative research, which demonstrated that FABP inhibition increases levels of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), providing therapeutic benefits for pain, stress, and inflammation. ART26.12 was licensed to Artelo Biosciences in 2018, and after extensive development, it has become the first clinical-stage FABP inhibitor.
This milestone highlights the success of the “bench-to-bedside” approach and underscores the Ojima Group’s commitment to advancing impactful drug discovery. Phase 1 clinical trials are expected to begin internationally in 2025 (more details).
The Ojima group welcomes 2024 Simon's Summer Research participants Katie Shou, Allyson Wong and Elizabeth Xiu.
Welcome to new undergraduate students Maggie Chan and Daniel He.
May
Congratulations to our outstanding graduates Kalani Jayanetti, Ashna Garg, Jacob Acosta, Binna Chen, and undergraduates Saba Gulzar and Yuxuan (Cris) Zhang!
We are thrilled to congratulate our graduates on their exceptional achievements.
Kalani Jayanetti (Ph.D.) received the Maria Tzamaioudaki Memorial Award for Outstanding Doctoral Student.
Ashna Garg (Ph.D.) was awarded with the Chemistry Award for Outstanding Service.
Saba Gulzar (B.S.) earned the Outstanding Chemistry Student Award, Chemistry Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemical Research, 2023 Emerson Award, Lap Chan Scholarship, and the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award.
Yuxuan (Cris) Zhang (B.S.) received the Chemistry Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.
These honors reflect the dedication and hard work of our students (more details).
Congratulations once again to all!
Celebrating success at the Senior Research Symposium – a proud moment for three undergraduate senior research students: Yuxuan (Cris) Zhang, Saba Gulzar and Duyen Tran!
April
The 2024 Ojima Distinguished Lecture Award was received by Dr. Hiroaki Suga
Dr. Hiroaki Suga, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tokyo, was recognized with the 2024 Ojima Distinguished Lecture Award. On April 26, he shared his insights in a lecture titled "Therapeutics Based on New Modalities of Pseudo-Natural Peptides, Products, and Neobiologics."
Dr. Suga is celebrated for his pioneering work in RNA-based technologies, including the Flexizyme, which reprograms the genetic code to incorporate unnatural amino acids. His achievements were further recognized with the 2023 Wolf Prize in Chemistry for his work in cyclic peptides and protein-protein interactions.
Dr. Suga’s research has had a profound impact on chemical biology, and his entrepreneurial success includes co-founding PeptiDream, a leading biotech company in Japan. His accomplishments are a testament to his leadership in the scientific community, and we are proud to have him as the 2024 Ojima Distinguished Lecturer (more details).
2023
August
The Ojima Group welcomes Master's students Alexander Reisel and Binna Chen, who have joined the group.
The Ojima Group welcomes undergraduate students Duyen Tran and Saba Gulzar, who have joined the group.
July
Congratulations to Hehe (Frank) Wang, Seungyoun Shin, and Chuanzhou (Joey) Zhu on earning their doctorates!
In addition, we are proud to recognize Hehe (Frank) Wang for receiving the Department of Chemistry Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research.
Their hard work and dedication are truly commendable, and we look forward to their continued success (more details).
ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry Tutorial Series: "Pioneers of Modern Fluorine Chemistry"
– Featuring Prof. Iwao Ojima
The ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry has released a recording of Prof. Iwao Ojima's lecture, "Exploration of Fluorine Chemistry at the Multidisciplinary Interface of Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine, (Password: pioneer) " as part of the 2023 FLUO Spring Tutorial Week. This lecture is part of a series aimed at showcasing the contributions of leading experts in fluorine chemistry.
Prof. Ojima is a leading expert in organofluorine chemistry, was featured for his groundbreaking contributions to the development of novel fluorine-based compounds for medicinal applications, including anticancer agents and targeted drug delivery systems.
This lecture highlights Prof. Ojima’s pioneering work and his impact on the integration of fluorine chemistry in medicine and biology (more details)
June
The Ojima group welcome 2023 Simons Summer Research Program participants Emerson Briggs, Fiona Wong and Julianne Wu.
May
Congratulations to Dr. Hehe (Frank) Wang on successfully defending his doctoral thesis and receiving the Department of Chemistry Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research for the academic year 2023 during the Chemistry Department convocation!
Congratulations to Binna Chen, Veronica Duncan, and Divya Jagnarain on earning their bachelor's degrees!
A special congratulations to Divya Jagnarain for earning her B.S. in Biochemistry with Summa Cum Laude distinction, and to Binna Chen for earning her B.S. in Chemistry with Cum Laude distinction!
We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
February
DHA-SBT-1214 Advances Toward Clinical Development!
Congratulations to all past and present collaborators! DHA-SBT-1214, a promising anti-cancer agent developed by the Ojima Group, has advanced significantly toward clinical trials. This second-generation taxane conjugate, formulated using nanoemulsion technology, has shown exceptional efficacy against solid tumors, particularly colorectal cancer. It has now attracted up to $24 million in investment from TVM Capital Life Science to support its further development.
DHA-SBT-1214 overcomes common challenges such as multidrug resistance and cancer stem cells, offering a potential breakthrough in cancer treatment. The nanoemulsion formulation allows for tumor-targeted drug delivery, improving the compound's effectiveness. In preclinical testing, it has demonstrated impressive results, particularly in combination with other therapies for pancreatic and prostate cancers.
This advancement reflects the success of the Ojima Group's pioneering research and dedication to developing next-generation cancer therapeutics.
Stony Brook University News Article
January
The Ojima Group welcomes PhD students Jiyun Jung, Chuying (Joey) Zou, and Yogesh Kakade, who have joined the group.
The Ojima Group welcomes Master's student Jacob Isaiah Acosta Jr., who has joined the group.
2022
September
Dr. Krupanandan Haranahalli, an Ojima Group alumni, was recently featured in the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Highlights.
Dr. Haranahalli received the prestigious Robert M. Scarborough Graduate/Postgraduate Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry. During her graduate & postdoctoral work at the Ojima Group, she led a successful antifungal drug discovery program, focusing on the design and optimization of small molecules. Her innovative research on acylhydrazones and photoaffinity-labeled probes has advanced the development of new treatments for fungal infections.
This award celebrates her exceptional dedication to advancing the field of medicinal chemistry, and the Ojima Group is proud to recognize her impactful work as an alumni of the group (more details).
Happy Birthday and Happy 25th Anniversary to Pat (Patricia Marinaccio) !
We are incredibly grateful for Pat’s 25 years of dedication as Project Staff Assistant. Since joining in 1997, Pat has been an invaluable member of our team, providing outstanding support and ensuring the smooth running of our projects. Her organizational skills, attention to detail, and positive attitude have greatly contributed to the success of the Ojima Group.
Thank you, Pat, for your hard work and commitment. We look forward to many more years of success together!
July
The Ojima Group welcomes Dr. Shubhra Rajput, who has joined the team as a post-doctoral researcher.
Congratulations to Saerom Kim and Adam Taouil on earning their doctorates! We wish them all the best in their future endeavors and look forward to their continued success.
June
Welcome undergraduate students Binna Chen (B.S. Chemistry) Veronica Duncan (B.S. Chemistry), Divya Jagnarain (B.S. Biochemistry) and Yuxuan (Cris) Zhang (B.A. Chemistry, B.S. Psychology).
Welcome Prof. Melissa Van Alstine-Parris of Adelphi University! We look forward to working with you during your sabbatical as a Visiting Professor.
The Ojima group welcomes the Simon's Summer Research students (John Heraghty, Samir Batheja, Kevin Kurti and Richard Zhuang).
May
Congratulations to Lei Chen (PhD) on her graduation!
We wish her continued success in her future endeavors and look forward to her future accomplishments.
Congratulations to Chris Karawan (M.S.) and Dylan Gordon (B.Sc.) on their graduations!
Dylan was awarded the Chemistry Award for Outstanding Teaching by an Undergraduate, as well as the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry.
We wish them all continued success in their future endeavors and look forward to their future accomplishments!
April
The inaugural Ojima Distinguished Lectureship Award in Chemistry was presented to Professor Makoto Fujita, University Distinguished Professor at the University of Tokyo, on April 29, 2022. The award, established to honor Professor Iwao Ojima's 75th birthday, recognizes exceptional contributions to chemistry.
Professor Fujita was celebrated for his pioneering work in metal-directed self-assembly, which has led to the development of stable, large, three-dimensional structures. In his lecture, “Coordination Self-Assembly: From Origins to the Latest Advances,” he discussed advancements in molecular self-assembly and its applications, including the innovative “crystalline sponge method” for determining 3D structures of organic molecules.
Professor Fujita’s groundbreaking contributions to the field of supramolecular chemistry have earned him global recognition, including the 2018 Wolf Prize in Chemistry. We are honored to celebrate his achievements with this distinguished award.
January
The Ojima Group welcomes PhD students Ananya Shibana Thennarasu, Kathryn Takemura, and Xinyuan (Martin) Gao, who have joined the group.
2021
August
The Ojima Group welcomes PhD student Hersh Bendale, who has recently joined the group.
July
Congratulations to Jinwoo Kim and Timothy Clement for receiving their doctoral degrees in Chemistry!
Best of luck to our two new graduates!
May
Hersh Bendale and Jinghe Lu both graduated with M.S. in Chemistry; congratulations!
Jordan Roiland graduated Summa cum laude and was featured in CAS news!
April
Congratulations to Derek Chien (High school research student, summer 2020) for gaining admission to Columbia University, and for being designated as a "Science research Fellow" based on exceptional achievement in the Science and mathematics.
January
The Ojima Group welcomes PhD student Dominick Rendina, who has recently joined the group.
2020
December
Professor Iwao Ojima has been elected as a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc), a prestigious honor recognizing his significant contributions to the scientific community. The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place in Paris this summer, though it may be subject to changes depending on the COVID-19 situation.
Professor Ojima has long been involved with the European scientific community, with notable work in organometallic chemistry, catalysis, and fluorine chemistry. His research on natural product-based anticancer agents has been licensed to European pharmaceutical companies, and he has mentored many European postdoctoral researchers and graduate students throughout his career.
This honor adds to Professor Ojima’s impressive list of accolades, including the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, the ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry, and over 100 patents. His election to EurASc highlights his leadership in advancing science and technology, further cementing his international recognition (see more).
August
Congratulations, and farewell to Monaf Awwa. He completed his Doctoral degree in Chemistry and will take a position at Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education in Maryland (ORISE/ORAU) as a postdoctoral fellow!
July
Congratulations, and farewell to Shengwei Xiong. He received his Masters degree in Chemistry in the Ojima Lab. A farewell social was held on Zoom to congratulate and honor him. Good luck, Shengwei!
Congratulations, Jinwoo Kim! Our fourth year graduate student was selected to receive the OTEFE(Opportunity to Earn Future Education) Foundation
May
Congratulations to Amanda Guel, Christoper Karwan, Catherine Leung, and Alston Li on their graduation with distinctions!
Amanda Gugel: Graduated with Cum Laude honors and received the Honors in Chemistry Award.
Christopher Karwan: Graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors, the Honors in Chemistry Award, and the Chemistry Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.
Catherine Leung: Graduated with the Honors in Chemistry Award.
Alston Li: Graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors and the Honors in Biology Award.
We wish them all the best in their future endeavors!
March
Congratulations to Dr. Krupa Haranahalli for being awarded the 2020 Scarborough Postdoctoral Award sponsored by Portola Pharmaceuticals. This award is in memory of Dr. Robert M. Scarborough, an accomplished medicinal chemist who founded the company. Krupa will accept her award at the Fall 2020 National ACS Meeting in San Francisco, where she will present her research, receive a $3500 honorarium and be given an commemorative plaque! Congratulations Krupa for this distinguished award!
February
Prof. Iwao Ojima, along with collaborators Dr. Martin Kaczocha, Dr. Robert Rizzo, Dr. Lloyd Trotman, and Artelo Biosciences, has received a $4.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to advance research in prostate cancer treatment. The team is focused on developing therapeutic strategies targeting fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), particularly FABP5, which has shown promise in combating inflammation, pain, and certain cancers.
The research began with initial funding from Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine, leading to key findings published in The Prostate. These results demonstrated that FABP5 inhibitors could significantly reduce metastatic prostate cancer cells and enhance the effectiveness of taxane chemotherapy, with fewer side effects.
With the NCI grant, the team will continue to optimize FABP5 inhibitors and evaluate their potential as both standalone treatments and in combination with FDA-approved drugs. This research aims to provide more effective and less toxic options for patients with advanced prostate cancer, highlighting the collaborative power of Stony Brook, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and industry partnerships (read more).
January
The Ojima Group welcomes Ph.D. students Ashna Garg and Kalani Jayanetti, who have joined the Ojima Research Group.
We are also excited to welcome M.S. students Hersh Bendale and Jinghe Lu to the team. We look forward to their contributions to our research efforts.
2019
August
Congratulations, Jinwoo Kim! Our fourth year graduate student was selected to receive the KASF (Korean American Scholarship Foundation) scholarship!
The Ojima Group welcomes Ph.D. student SeungYoun Shin to the team.
July
Congratulations to Yi Sun for receiving his doctoral degree in Chemistry! He took a position in STA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (a subsidiary of WuXi AppTech in San Diego)!
May
Welcome! Fulbright Scholar, Greta Klejborowska, as a Visiting Graduate Student from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland joined the Ojima Laboratory. She is in the final year of her Ph.D. study in Poland and will spend one year in the Ojima Laboratory to work on the tumor-targeted drug conjugates of natural product-based anticancer agents to complete her Ph.D. Thesis.
Congratulations to Atri Maharaj, Julia Zambito and Peter Alsaloum for graduation with distinctions!
Atri Maharaj: ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry, American Chemical Society
Julia Zambito: Chemistry Award for Outstanding Service by an Undergraduate
Peter Alsaloum: Ward Melville Valedictorian Award; SUNY Chancellors Award for Student Excellence.
April
Congratulations to Dr. Krupa Haranahalli for being awarded the Young Academic Inventors Award from the Stony Brook University Chapter of the National Acedemy of Inventors (SBU-NAI).
Undergraduate students Julia Zambito and Peter Alsaloum recieved the Undergraduate Recognition Award! Congratulations!
January
The Ojima Group welcomes Ph.D. students Frank Wang and Chuanzhou Zhu to the team.
2018
September
Congratulations to Professor Iwao Ojima on being named the recipient of the prestigious Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products by the American Chemical Society (ACS). This award, one of the oldest and most esteemed national honors in the field, recognizes outstanding achievements in the analysis, structure elucidation, and chemical synthesis of natural products. Professor Ojima's receipt of the Ernest Guenther Award highlights his significant contributions to the field, particularly his pioneering work with taxol and taxane-class natural products, which has had a profound impact on cancer therapy and medicinal chemistry.
Professor Ojima's work has been recognized in natural product chemistry and chemical biology. His research in synthesizing taxanes and taxoids has advanced the development of next-generation anticancer agents. He has published over 480 papers and holds more than 100 patents.
This prestigious honor is a testament to his groundbreaking research and leadership in the field of chemistry, reinforcing Stony Brook's position at the forefront of scientific innovation (read more).
Congratulations and Farewell. Dr. Changwei Wang assumes a postdoctoral associate position at the Professor Shaomeng Wang's laboratory, Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Michigan. He keeps an Affiliated Member status in the Ojima Research Laboratory.
Congratulations and Farewell. Dr. Yao Zong joins Angion Biomedica Corp., Uniondale, New York as an industrial postdoctoral associate.
August
Ojima Research Lab. Reunion luncheon was held during the 256th ACS National Meeting in Boston (see Photo Gallery). Yi Sun and Monaf Awwa presented their papers at the meeting.
Ph.D. student, Adam Tauoil, joined the Ojima Research Laboratory.
Congratulations! Timothy Clement successfully defended his M.S. He continues his graduate study as Ph.D. student.
Congratulations and Farewell. Dr. Su Yan assumes a postdoctoral associate position at the Professor Martin D. Burke's laboratory, Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbama-Champaign.
Simons Summer Research Program Symposium was held. Anjali Chakradhar, Erta Kuri and Rachel Li presented their posters.
July
Congratulations and Farewell. Dr. Yaozhong Zhang joins Adesis, Inc., New Castle, Delaware as a Staff Research Chemist.
Dr. Antonella Pepe joins the Ojima Research Laboratory as Research Scientist and Chemistry Department as Visiting Associate Professor.
The Ojima Group held a reunion in Paris on July 28, 2018.
Professor Ojima was invited to the International Symposium on Fluorine Chemistry at Oxford University, UK.
He also had a Mini-Reunion with Professor Clare Grey at Cambridge University.
May
Professor Ojima was invited to an International Symposium on Organofluorine Chemistry in Nanjing, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou, and the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzen, China to give lectures and receive an honorary lectureship from SUSTech.
Commencement, Chemistry Department Convocation: Congratulations to Jingcheng Ren (M.S.), Anna Panapakides (B.S.) and Senuri Pathiranage (B.S.)! Senuri and Anna graduated with honors (cum laude). (see Photo Gallery).
Doctoral Hooding Ceremony for Ph.Ds.: Congratulations Su Yan, Yaozhong Zhang and Yao Zong! (see Photo Gallery).
April
EUREKA Symposium was held. Sarika Hira, Peter Alsaloum and Sanuri Pathiranage presented their posters.
March
Farewell. Dr. Yunrong Jing, Visiting Scientist, completed her very productive sabbatical at the Ojima Research Lab, returning to China.
Ojima Research Lab. Reunion Luncheon was held during the 255th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans (see Photo Gallery). Yunrong Jing, Krupanadan Haranahalli, Su Yan, Yaozhong Zhang and Julia Zambito presented their papers at the meeting.
Congratulations and Farewell. Dr. Xin Wang joins Genesco, Cambridge, MA, as Staff Research Chemist.
January
Ph.D. students, Allan Tran and Lei Chen, as well as a B.S./M.S. student, Jingon Riu joined the Ojima Research Laboratory.
Ojima Research Lab. Mini-Reunion luncheon was held in Guangzhou, China during Professor Ojima's visit to the Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Institute for Biomedicine and Health (GIBH). (See More)
Commencement, Chemistry Department Convocation: Congratulations to Jingcheng Ren (M.S.), Anna Panapakides (B.S.) and Senuri Pathiranage (B.S.)! Senuri and Anna graduated with honors (cum laude). (see Photo Gallery).
The Ojima Research Laboratory