John A. Jr. Porco

Identification of natural products and synthetic analogs which inhibit microsporidia spores and prevent infection

This study screens 4,080 compounds to identify inhibitors of microsporidia spores, finding 17 effective compounds that prevent infection in C. elegans.

Single Cell Profiling Distinguishes Leukemia-Selective Chemotypes

The paper screens a compound library to identify leukemia-selective chemotypes using single-cell profiling and finds that certain rocaglate derivatives selectively induce DNA damage in leukemia cells.

Discovery of RNA-Protein Molecular Clamps Using Proteome-Wide Stability Assays

The paper develops a method to discover RNA-protein-small molecule complexes using proteome-wide stability assays and applies it to identify novel DDX helicase targets of rocaglates.

Structural Basis for the Improved RNA-Clamping of Amidino-Rocaglates to eIF4A1

This paper presents the X-ray structure of an amidino-rocaglate in complex with eIF4A1 and RNA, showing how its rigid scaffold improves RNA-clamping compared to rocaglamide A.

In vitro discovery of a therapeutic lead for HFMD from a library screen of rocaglates/aglains

This study identifies a novel aglain derivative that effectively inhibits EV-A71 replication and shows broad antiviral activity against enteroviruses.