David Sherman Lab

We harness the power of chemistry that has evolved inside of microorganisms to pioneer new antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs and other medicines.

Our Research

Composed of a dynamic, interdisciplinary team of scientists, the Sherman laboratory studies the biosynthesis of natural products from microbes that include cyanobacteria, actinomycetes, and myxobacteria.

We are inspired by natural products from both terrestrial and marine organisms and seek to better understand their origins using a set of tools that includes molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, and bioorganic chemistry.

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David Sherman, Ph.D.

Research Professor, U-M Life Sciences Institute

Hans W. Vahlteich Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, U-M College of Pharmacy

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, U-M Medical School

Professor of Chemistry, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

(734) 764-0030

[email protected]

Full Profile

Research

Lab Members

Publications

Publication Highlights

Metabolic engineering and late-stage functionalization expand the chemical space of the antimalarial premarineosin A

McBride CM, McCauley M, Harris NR, Amin S, Curtis BJ, Verhey-Henke L, Teklemichael AA, Oliphant EN, Dranchak P, Lev KL, Qu F, Snodgrass HM, Lewis JC, Inglese J, Su XZ, Pereira F, Sherman DH, Commun Chem (2025)

Establishing selectivity trends with reactions of thioesterases and semi-synthetic polyketides

Litman ZC, Chen Y, Sherman DH, J Am Chem Soc (2025)

Engineering a biosynthetic pathway to produce (+)-brevianamides A and B

Sandoval Hurtado CP, Kelly SP, Shende V, Perez M, Curtis BJ, Newmister SA, Ott K, Pereira F, Sherman DH, ACS Catal (2025)

Optimized production of concanamycins using a rational metabolic engineering strategy

Pereira F, McCauley M, Lev K, Verhey-Henke L, Condren AR, Harte RJ, Galvez J, Sherman DH, Metab Eng (2025)

Directed evolution of a modular polyketide synthase thioesterase for generation of a hybrid macrocyclic ring system

Adrover-Castellano ML, Curtis BJ, Schmidt JJ, Boesger HA, Glasser CA, Olukorede DE, Qu F, Sherman DH, ACS Catal (2025)

The mutually inspiring biological and chemical synthesis of fungal bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane indole alkaloids

Du L, Dian L, Newmister SA, Xia Y, Luo G, Sherman DH, Li S, Chem Rev (2025)

Synthesis of a truncated microcystin tetrapeptide molecule from a partial Mcy gene cluster in microcystis cultures and blooms

Yancey CE, Hart L, Lad AC, Birbeck JA, Song S, Mohamed OG, Fribley AM, Haller ST, Tripathi A, Kennedy DJ, Westrick JA, Sherman DH, Dick GJ, Environ Sci Technol (2024)

Structure of a modular polyketide synthase reducing region

McCullough TM, Dhar A, Akey DL, Konwerski JR, Sherman DH, Smith JL, Structure (2023)

Expression of microcystis biosynthetic gene clusters in natural populations suggests temporally dynamic synthesis of novel and known secondary metabolites in Western Lake Erie

Yancey CE, Yu F, Tripathi A, Sherman DH, Dick GJ, Appl Environ Microbiol (2023)

An NmrA-like enzyme-catalysed redox-mediated Diels-Alder cycloaddition with anti-selectivity

Liu Z, Rivera S, Newmister SA, Sanders JN, Nie Q, Liu S, Zhao F, Ferrara JD, Shih H-W, Patil S, Xu W, Miller MD, Phillips Jr. GN, Houk KN, Sherman DH, Gao X, Nature Chemistry (2023)

View All Publications on PubMed