Fran Sverdrup, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Director
Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation, Discovery Services Core
Education
- B.S. in Chemistry, University of Notre Dame, 1987
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 1994
Research Interests
Our lab is focused on mechanisms of gene regulation and drug discovery in human genetic
diseases. Our current focus is facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), one
of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy, for which there is no treatment. We
study how the myotoxic DUX4 gene is reactivated in FSHD. Additionally, we screen for
new compounds intended to epigenetically suppress DUX4. We are currently evaluating
several classes of drugs that turn off DUX4 in cell and animal models of FSHD. We
are performing mechanism of actions studies to understand how these drugs suppress
transcription of DUX4 mRNA.
- Drug discovery
- Pharmacology
- Cell and molecular biology
- Chemical biology
Labs and Facilities
- Doisy Research Center, rooms 463, 465 and 355
Publications
- Discovery of an Orally Efficacious Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine Benzoxaborole as a Potent Inhibitor of Cryptosporidium. Gasonoo M, Guin S, Teixeira JE, Oboh E, Gokanapalle A, Miller P, Oliva J, Sverdrup FM, Huston CD, Meyers MJ. J Med Chem. 2025; 68(1):832-849. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c02805. PMID: 39714730.
- SIX transcription factors are necessary for the activation of DUX4 expression in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Fox A, Oliva J, Vangipurapu R, Sverdrup FM. Skelet Muscle. 2024; 14(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s13395-024-00361-3. PMID: 39627769
- Temporal variation in p38-mediated regulation of DUX4 in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Vangipurapu R, Oliva J, Fox A, Sverdrup FM. Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):26437. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77911-8. PMID: 39488616
- Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of the Aryl Acetamide Triazolopyridazines against Cryptosporidium Reveals Remarkable Role of Fluorine. Schubert TJ, Oboh E, Peek H, Philo E, Teixeira JE, Stebbins EE, Miller P, Oliva J, Sverdrup FM, Griggs DW, Huston CD, Meyers MJ. J Med Chem. 2023; 66(12):7834-7848. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00110. PMID: 37267631
- Meeting report: the 2020 FSHD International Research Congress. Kyba M, Bloch RJ, Dumonceaux J, Harper SQ, van der Maarel SM, Sverdrup FM, Wagner KR, van Engelen B, Chen YW. Skelet Muscle. 2020; 10(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s13395-020-00253-2. PMID: 33292505
- Clinically Advanced p38 Inhibitors Suppress DUX4 Expression in Cellular and Animal Models of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Oliva J, Galasinski S, Richey A, Campbell AE, Meyers MJ, Modi N, Zhong JW, Tawil R, Tapscott SJ, Sverdrup FM. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2019; 370(2):219-230. doi: 10.1124/jpet.119.259663. PMID: 31189728.
- BET bromodomain inhibitors and agonists of the beta-2 adrenergic receptor identified in screens for compounds that inhibit DUX4 expression in FSHD muscle cells. Campbell AE, Oliva J, Yates MP, Zhong JW, Shadle SC, Snider L, Singh N, Tai S, Hiramuki Y, Tawil R, van der Maarel SM, Tapscott SJ, Sverdrup FM. Skelet Muscle. 2017; 7(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s13395-017-0134-x. PMID: 28870238.
- Synthesis, antimalarial properties and 2D-QSAR studies of novel triazole-quinine conjugates. Faidallah HM, Panda SS, Serrano JC, Girgis AS, Khan KA, Alamry KA, Therathanakorn T, Meyers MJ, Sverdrup FM, Eickhoff CS, Getchell SG, Katritzky AR. Bioorg Med Chem. 2016; 24(16):3527-39. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2016.05.060. PubMed PMID: 27298002.
- Evaluation of spiropiperidine hydantoins as a novel class of antimalarial agents. Meyers MJ, Anderson EJ, McNitt SA, Krenning TM, Singh M, Xu J, Zeng W, Qin L, Xu W, Zhao S, Qin L, Eickhoff CS, Oliva J, Campbell MA, Arnett SD, Prinsen MJ, Griggs DW, Ruminski PG, Goldberg DE, Ding K, Liu X, Tu Z, Tortorella MD, Sverdrup FM, Chen X. Bioorg Med Chem. 2015; 23(16):5144-50. doi: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.02.050. PMID: 25797165.
- Memory regulatory T cells reside in human skin. Sanchez Rodriguez R, Pauli ML, Neuhaus IM, Yu SS, Arron ST, Harris HW, Yang SH, Anthony BA, Sverdrup FM, Krow-Lucal E, MacKenzie TC, Johnson DS, Meyer EH, Löhr A, Hsu A, Koo J, Liao W, Gupta R, Debbaneh MG, Butler D, Huynh M, Levin EC, Leon A, Hoffman WY, McGrath MH, Alvarado MD, Ludwig CH, Truong HA, Maurano MM, Gratz IK, Abbas AK, Rosenblum MD.J Clin Invest. 2014; 124(3):1027-36. doi: 10.1172/JCI72932. PMID: 24509084.
- A repurposing strategy for Hsp90 inhibitors demonstrates their potency against filarial nematodes. Gillan V, O'Neill K, Maitland K, Sverdrup FM, Devaney E. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014; 8(2):e2699. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002699. PMID: 24551261.
- Evaluation of aminohydantoins as a novel class of antimalarial agents. Meyers MJ, Tortorella MD, Xu J, Qin L, He Z, Lang X, Zeng W, Xu W, Qin L, Prinsen MJ, Sverdrup FM, Eickhoff CS, Griggs DW, Oliva J, Ruminski PG, Jacobsen EJ, Campbell MA, Wood DC, Goldberg DE, Liu X, Lu Y, Lu X, Tu Z, Lu X, Ding K, Chen X. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2014; 5(1):89-93. doi: 10.1021/ml400412x. PMID: 24900778