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Julie Le Engers, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Associate Director of Medicinal Chemistry


  • : julie.c.le@vanderbilt.edu
  • : 100 Cool Springs Innovation Park
    Vanderbilt University/WCNDD
    393 Nichol Mill Lane, Room 1006
    Franklin, Tennessee - 37067

Education

Louisiana State University, 1998
B.S Biochemistry

Louisiana State University, 2000
M.S. Chemistry

University of Texas at Austin, 2005
Ph.D. Organic Chemistry

Biosketch and Research Interests

Julie received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin under the direction of Professor Brian L. Pagenkopf. Her research focused on the design and synthesis of bisoxazoline-salen ligands for asymmetric catalytic reactions. She was a recipient of The Gates Millennium Scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In 2005, Julie joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at Rhodes College, Memphis, TN as an assistant professor. Her primary research interests included asymmetric catalysis with applications toward the synthesis of therapeutically relevant compounds such as anti-malarial alkaloid febrifugine.

Production Centers Network (MLPCN). In this position, her primary responsibilities involved management of the work-flow among various groups of the synthetic and medicinal chemistry core within the center.

As a Research Instructor, Julie is one of the lead chemists in Medicinal Chemistry Team focusing on the pursuit of novel small molecule for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety and other neurological disorders.

Selected Publications

Wood, M.R.; Noetzel, M.J.; Engers, J.L.; Bollinger, K.A; Melancon B.J.; Tarr, J.C.; Han, C.; West, M.; Gregro, A.R.; Lamsal, A.; Chang, C.; Ajmera, S.; Smith, E.; Chase, P.; Hodder, P.S.; Bubser, M.; Jones, C.K.; Hopkins, C.R.; Emmitte, K.A.; Niswender, C.M.; Wood, M.W.; Duggan, M.W.; Conn, P.J.; Bridges, T.M.; Lindsley,C.W. ‘Discovery and Optimization of a novel series of highly CNS penetrant M4 PAMs based on a 5,6-Dimethyl-4-(piperidin-1-yl)thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine core’ Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters (2016); 26(13): 3029-3033. {DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.05.010; PMID: 27185330}

Engers, J.L.; Rodriguez, A.L.; Konkol, L.C.; Morrison, R.D.; Thompson, A.D.; Byers, F.W.; Blobaum, A.L.; Chang, S.; Venable, D.F.; Loch, M.T.; Niswender, C.M.; Daniels, J.S.; Jones, C.K.; Conn, P.J.; Lindsley, C.W.; Emmitte, K.A. ‘Discovery of a Selective and CNS Penetrant Negative Allosteric Modulator of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Subtype 3 with Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Activity in Rodents’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2015); 58(18): 7485-7500. {DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01005; PMID: 26335039}

Wen, W.; Young, S.E.; Duverany, M.T.; Schulte, M.L.; Nance, K.D.; Melancon, B.J.; Engers, J.; Locuson, C.W.; Wood, M.R.; Daniels, J.S.; Wu, W.; Lindsley, C.W.; Ham, H.E.; Stauffer, S.R. ‘Substituted indoles as selective protease activated receptor 4 (PAR-4) antagonists: Discovery and SAR of ML354’ Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters (2014); 24(19): 4708-4713. {DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2014.08.021; PMID: 25176330}