Research in the Moore group is focused on the biosynthesis and bioengineering of marine microbial natural products and in the discovery of new enzyme biocatalysts. Our studies are performed at the chemistry-biology interface and involve a number of sophisticated approaches that include heterologous biosynthesis, mutasynthesis, chemoenzymatic total synthesis, genome mining, and in vitro and in vivo biochemical analysis. Biosynthetic systems are largely targeted from marine actinomycete bacteria, which harbor promising natural product compounds such as the potent anticancer agent salinosporamide A, the polyketide antibiotic enterocin, and the napyradiomycin family of meroterpenoids.  

   Microbial biodiversity remains one of the last great biotic frontiers, and developing effective strategies to discover and exploit new small molecules from this resource is integral to the success of future drug discovery efforts. The introduction of recombinant technology to the natural product discovery process has allowed us to interrogate and manipulate biosynthetic processes in order to expand the biosynthetic capabilities of marine bacteria to yield new chemical entities for biological evaluation.  

Our program provides an exciting training opportunity for students and postdocs who wish to explore the chemistry, biochemistry and genetics of microbial natural products. Through our on-going collaborations with other faculty in the San Diego Natural Products Affinity Group, the Moore lab offers a broad training environment in marine biotechnology, natural product chemistry, biosynthesis, protein biochemistry, genetic engineering, and chemical biology. For more information about our research or to inquire about available positions, please contact Prof. Bradley Moore (bsmoore@ucsd.edu).