Distinguished Scientist, Cancer Researcher Joins Chemistry Faculty

Dr. Rudi Fasan, a distinguished scientist who is taking cues from nature to develop new biologically active molecules that have potential use against cancer and other diseases, joined The University of Texas at Dallas this fall as a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research.

Fasan received a $6 million Recruitment of Established Investigators award from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to join the UT Dallas Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM). CPRIT recruitment grants bring senior faculty with distinguished professional careers and established cancer research programs to Texas from around the country.

In addition to being named a CPRIT Scholar, Fasan holds a Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry.

Fasan’s research is aimed at the design, development and investigation of new chemical synthesis strategies for the discovery of biologically active molecules. His research group is developing chemical agents that can provide detailed information about cell biology and that can control biomolecular interactions implicated in cancer, HIV infection and other diseases.

“My research group is developing creative methods to synthesize libraries of molecules that resemble biologically active products found in nature,” Fasan said. “We screen these libraries to discover new therapeutic agents with a specific focus on compounds with anti-cancer and antiviral activity.

“Another component of our research program is to engineer enzymes to carry out chemical reactions that do not exist in nature, which we call ‘new-to-nature’ chemistry. These biocatalytic methods are useful to make pharmaceuticals, and they are relevant for green chemistry and sustainable chemical manufacturing.”

Fasan, together with Dr. Filippo Romiti, a fellow CPRIT Scholar recruited last year with a $2 million CPRIT First-Time, Tenure-Track Faculty award, and Dr. Vladimir Gevorgyan, a Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry who joined the UT Dallas faculty in 2019, adds to UTD’s growing synthetic organic chemistry core.

“We continue to attract talented faculty whose research addresses global challenges in science and society and advances critical areas that can help improve human health, including cancer-related studies and investigations of chemical synthesis methods,” said Dr. David Hyndman, NSM dean and the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Distinguished University Chair. “With his robust research program and his commitment to educating the next generation of scientists, Dr. Fasan adds to our dynamic group of innovators.”

Fasan was born in Italy and studied pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Padua, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1999. After serving mandatory military service, he earned his PhD in bio-organic chemistry in 2005 under the supervision of Dr. John A. Robinson at the University of Zurich. After that, he joined Dr. Frances H. Arnold’s research group at the California Institute of Technology as a Swiss National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow. Arnold received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2018 for her pioneering work in the directed evolution of enzymes.

In 2008 Fasan began his independent academic career in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Rochester, where in 2019 he was named the inaugural holder of the Andrew S. Kende Endowed Chair in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Beginning in 2018, he also held a courtesy appointment as a professor of oncology at the Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

“It’s very exciting to be at UT Dallas,” Fasan said. “While we will continue to expand our current program, CPRIT funding will allow us to explore new research directions, including investigating the anti-cancer activity of compounds developed in our laboratory, also in collaboration with investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center. I can foresee a lot of opportunities and ways we can make an impact.”

“With his robust research program and his commitment to educating the next generation of scientists, Dr. Fasan adds to our dynamic group of innovators.”

Dr. David Hyndman, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Over the past 15 years, his research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and industrial sponsors. At the University of Rochester, he was the director of an NIH-funded program to train graduate students in research at the interface of chemistry and biology, and led the establishment of an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program in Chemistry Research for Medicine and Energy.

“At the University of Rochester, I was very engaged in involving undergraduate students in research in our laboratory, even as early as their first year or sophomore year,” Fasan said. “I have found it extremely rewarding to see how much these young, enthusiastic scientists can grow professionally, develop and evolve their interests, and then move on to do great things. Involvement in relevant research experiences at the interface of chemistry and biology has been a key component of their professional development.”

Created by the Texas Legislature and approved by a statewide vote in 2007, CPRIT has awarded more than $3.3 billion in grants to Texas research institutions and organizations through its academic research, prevention and product development research programs. CPRIT has also recruited 295 distinguished researchers to Texas. With this latest grant, UT Dallas has received more than $28 million from CPRIT to support cancer studies.