Elizabeth Ambrose, PhD

The Ambrose laboratory’s research program focuses on CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high explosive) agent mitigation, particularly Bacillus anthracis (the causative agent of anthrax), the ricin toxin, and organophosphate nerve gases such as sarin, soman, and VX. Our goals include the design and optimization of small-molecule anthrax toxin lethal factor (LF) inhibitors, and ricin toxin A (RTA) inhibitors, to be used as emergency therapeutics in the event of bioterror attacks, and engineering enzyme active sites to rapidly and effectively hydrolyze fast-acting nerve agents. We are a full-spectrum early- to mid-stage drug discovery laboratory encompassing high-throughput and fragment screening, lead optimization, structure-based design, cell-based assays, and modeling. We have particular expertise in Biosafety Level (BSL)-2 and -3 and Select Agent safety and security protocols. Professor Ambrose also has research and teaching interests in CNS-targeted drug design and optimization, focusing on psychiatric pharmacy and neuropharmacology.

• American Chemical Society Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, 2011
• Professor of the Semester, 2015, PharmD Class of 2017 (Twin Cities)
• Professor of the Semester, 2015, PharmD Class of 2017 (Duluth)
• Professor of the Year, 2013, PharmD Class of 2015 (Twin Cities)
• Professor of the Semester, Spring 2013, PharmD Class of 2015 (Duluth)
• Professor of the Year, 2012, PharmD Class of 2014 (Twin Cities)
• Professor of the Semester, Spring 2012, PharmD Class of 2014 (Duluth)
• Professor of the Semester, Spring 2011, PharmD Class of 2013 (Twin Cities)
• Professor of the Semester, Spring 2011, PharmD Class of 2013 (Duluth)
• Professor of the Year, 2010, PharmD Class of 2012 (Twin Cities)
• Professor of the Semester, Spring 2010, PharmD Class of 2012 (Duluth)

• Fellow of the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute for Advanced Computational Research (MSI)

Courses:

• Pharm 6762: Medicinal Chemistry and Neuropharmacology
• MedC 5185: Principles of Biomolecular Simulation
• MedC 5245/Chem 5245: Introduction to Drug Design
• MedC 8001: General Principles of Medicinal Chemistry I
• MedC 8002: General Principles of Medicinal Chemistry II
• MedC 8753: Molecular Targets of Drug Discovery

PubMed

• Flanders PL, Contreras-Martel C, Brown NW, Shirley JD, Martins A, Nauta KN, Dessen A, Carlson EE, Ambrose EA. Combined Structural Analysis and Molecular Dynamics Reveal Penicillin-Binding Protein Inhibition Mode with β-Lactones. ACS Chem Biol. 2022 Nov 18;17(11):3110-3120. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00503. Epub 2022 Sep 29. PMID: 36173746.
• Ambrose, E., McDermott, C., & Flanders, P. (2022). Analysis of Abietane-Type Diterpenoids from Baltic Amber Samples. American Chemical Society (ACS). doi: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2022-48kmn

Video:

Staying One Step Ahead

ACS Podcast:

Bioterrorism: Weaponizing science isn't new