Prof Greg Challis

Monash 海角社区 Alliance Professor of Sustainable Chemistry
(Chemical and Synthetic Biology)

G.L.Challis@warwick.ac.uk
+44 (0)2476 5 22355
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About Me

Groups at 海角社区

Affiliations

Biography

Chemistry Sub-Panel Member, 2029 Research Excellence Framework
Co-director, Monash 海角社区 Alliance AMR training program in emerging superbug threats (2021-)
Monash 海角社区 Alliance Professor of Sustainable Chemistry (Chemical and Synthetic Biology), Department of Chemistry, University of 海角社区 (2021-)
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University (2021-)
Monash 海角社区 Alliance Professor of Sustainable Chemistry (Chemical and Synthetic Biology), Department of Chemistry, University of 海角社区 and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Monash University (2016-2021)
Professor of Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of 海角社区 (2006-2016)
Senior Lecturer/Reader in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of 海角社区 (2003-2006)
Lecturer in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of 海角社区 (2001-2003)
Wellcome Trust research fellow, Department of Genetics, John Innes Centre (2000-2001)
Wellcome Trust research fellow, Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University (1998-2000)
DPhil in Organic Chemistry, University of Oxford (1998)
BSc in Chemistry, Imperial College London (1994)

Recognition

Kitasato Microbial Chemistry Medal (2025)
117th Kitasato Microbial Chemistry Lecture, Kitasato University, Japan (2024)
Andrew Derome Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK (2022)
Bristol Myers Squibb Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, UC Berkeley, USA (2020)
GE Healthcare Lecturer McGill University, Canada (2018)
Amgen Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA (2017)
Royal Society of Chemistry Interdisciplinary Prize (2017)
Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2013-2018)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2011)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (2011)
GlaxoSmithKline Lecturer, University of Nottingham (2011)
Royal Society Gabor Medal (2009)
Royal Society of Chemistry Hickinbottom Award (2009)
Microbiology Society Fleming Prize Lecture (2007)
University of Kent Wain Medal Lecture (2007)
Royal Society of Chemistry Meldola Medal (2002)
Wellcome Trust International Prize Travelling Research Fellowship (1998-2001)
GlaxoWellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (1998)

Research interests

My research focuses on the chemistry and biology of microbial natural products. This encompasses natural product discovery, elucidation of biosynthetic pathways, creation of natural product analogues and novel molecular scaffolds via synthetic biology, and the mechanism of action and biological function of natural products.

Our approach is highly interdisciplinary and employs numerous complementary techniques, including chemical synthesis and analysis, molecular genetic manipulation, enzymology, protein mass spectrometry, structural biology (X-ray crystallography, protein NMR spectroscopy and single particle cryo-electron microscopy), bioinformatics, molecular modelling, and bioactivity assays.

Publications

Selected recent publications:

Discovery of late intermediates in methylenomycin biosynthesis active against drug-resistant Gram-positive bacterial pathogens. C. Corre, G.A. Idowu, L. Song, M.E. Whitehead, L.M. Alkhalaf and G.L. Challis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 40554-40561

Biosynthesis of Biphenomycin-like Macrocyclic Peptides by Formation and Crosslinking of ortho-Tyrosines. C. Padhi, L. Zhu, J. Chen, C. Huang, R. Moreira, G.L. Challis, M.J. Cryle, and W. van der Donk. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 23781-23796.

Antibiotic skeletal diversification via differential enoylreductase recruitment and module iteration in trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthases. X. Jian, F. Pang, C. Hobson, M. Jenner, L.M. Alkhalaf, and G.L. Challis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 6114-6124.

Parallelized gene cluster editing illuminates mechanisms of epoxyketone proteasome inhibitor biosynthesis. C. Huang, D. Zabala, E.L.C. de los Santos, L. Song, C. Corre, L.M. Alkhalaf and G.L. Challis. Nucleic Acids Res. 2023, 51, 1488鈥�1499.

Diene incorporation by a dehydratase domain variant in modular polyketide synthases. C. Hobson, M. Jenner, X. Jian, D. Griffiths, D.M. Roberts, M. Rey and G.L. Challis. Nat. Chem. Biol. 2022, 18, 1410-1416.

Molecular basis for control of antibiotic production by a bacterial hormone. S. Zhou, H. Bhukya, N. Malet, P. Harrison, D. Rea, M.J. Belousoff, H. Venugopal, P.K. Sydor, K.M. Styles, L. Song, M.J. Cryle, L.M. Alkhalaf, V. F眉l枚p, G.L. Challis and C. Corre. Nature, 2021, 590, 463-467.

Structures of a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase condensation domain suggest the basis of substrate selectivity. T. Izor茅, Y.T.C. Ho, J.A. Kaczmarski, A. Gavriilidou, K.H. Chow, D.L. Steer, R.J.A. Goode, R.B. Schittenhelm, J. Tailhades, M. Tosin, G.L. Challis, E.H. Krenske, N. Ziemert, C.J. Jackson and M.J. Cryle. Nat. Commun. 2021, 12, 2511.

Genomics-driven discovery of a novel glutarimide antibiotic from Burkholderia gladioli reveals an unusual polyketide synthase chain release mechanism. I.T. Nakou, M. Jenner, Y. Dashti, I. Romero-Canel贸n, J. Masschelein, E. Mahenthiralingam and G.L. Challis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 23145-23153.

Discovery and biosynthesis of bolagladins: unusual lipodepsipeptides from Burkholderia gladioli clinical isolates. Y. Dashti, I.T. Nakou, A.J. Mullins, G. Webster, X. Jian, E. Mahenthiralingam and G.L. Challis. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 21553-21561.

The catalytic mechanism of aromatic nitration by cytochrome P450 TxtE: Involvement of a ferric-peroxynitrite intermediate. S. Louka, S.M. Barry, D.J. Heyes, M.Q.E. Mubarak, H.S. Ali, L.M. Alkhalaf, A.W. Munro, N.S. Scrutton, G.L. Challis and S.P. de Visser. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 15764-15779.

Developmentally regulated volatiles geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol attract a soil arthropod to Streptomyces bacteria promoting spore dispersal. P. G. Becher, V. Verschut, M.J. Bibb, M.J. Bush, B.P. Moln谩r, E. Barane, M.M. Al-Bassam, G. Chandra, L. Song, G.L. Challis, M.J. Buttner, and K. Fl盲rdh. Nat. Microbiol. 2020, 5, 821-829.

Teaching and supervision

I teach Chemical Biology (CH3H6-15: year 3)

I co-supervise the following PhD students:

Callum Bullock (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf)

Mabilly Cox (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf)

Affiah Tasnim (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf and Dr Nicole Robb)

Adam Hunt (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf and Prof Chris Corre)

Matt Pledge (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf, Prof Jian Li and Dr Xinyun Jian)

Emma Coker (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf and Prof Jozef Lewandowski)

Duong Nguyen (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf)

Xiaoqi Ji (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf and Dr Alex Mullins)

Jingyu Zhang (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf and Dr Alex Mullins)

Sarah Sonnenberg (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf)

Thuy Nguyen (with Dr Chuan Huang and Prof Max Cryle)

Ramani Weerasinghe (with Prof Max Cryle, Dr Lauren Murray and Dr Julien Talihedes)

Xinyi Zhao (with Dr Xinyun Jian and Dr Max Cryle)

I co-supervise the following MChem final year project students:

Winnie Al-Atraqchi (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf)

William Taylor (with Dr Lona Alkhalaf)