Department Seminar

Seminars are held on Wednesdays at 4:00pm. All are invited to attend.

Upcoming Seminar

Adventures with (Glyco)Peptides
Prof. Michael Ferracane, CSU Fullerton

September 30, 2026
4:00pm-5:00pm in HSCI-103

Abstract

Cyclic tetrapeptides possess proteolytic stability, oral bioavailability, and blood-brain barrier permeability that imparts the scaffold with drug-like properties. Cyclo[Pro-Sar-Phe-DPhe] (Figure Left) is a potent opioid that has shown utility in treating pain and attenuating the rewarding effects of cocaine and morphine in mouse model systems. We are working to better understand how these compounds exhibit this activity through systematic synthesis, conformational analysis, and in vitro/in vivo analysis.

O-glycoproteases (figure right) are a family of enzymes that cleave O-linked glycoproteins but not their unglycosylated analogs. Bacteria of the gut microbiome secrete these enzymes to access nutrients and evade the host immune system. Still, these enzymes are under-explored, as their potential role in infection and use as biochemical tools remains poorly understood.

opoid cyclic peptides and O-glycoproteases
Fig.: Opioid Cyclic Peptide, O-glycoprotease and their ligands.

Seminar Coordinator

For information and suggestions about our Department Seminar series, please contact the seminar coordinator:

Dr. Michael Schramm
Michael.Schramm@csulb.edu

Schedule

The following schedule is tentative for Fall 2026. 

Upcoming Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
September 30, 2026Adventures with (Glyco)PeptidesProf. Michael Ferracane, CSU Fullerton
October 7, 2026TBAKarin Crowhurst, CSU Northridge
October 14, 2026TBAAlyssa Rodriguez, Occidental College
October 21, 2026TBABrenda Andrade Rounds, CSU Los Angeles
October 28, 2026TBASanchaita Das, Eli Lilly
November 4, 2026TBAMatthias Selke, CSU Los Angeles
November 18, 2026TBADr. Peter Ramirez, CSU Long Beach
December 2, 2026Diverse Careers in ChemistryKurjans and Nietos, CSU Long Beach Alumni

Previous Seminars

Previous Seminars
DateTitleSpeaker and Affiliation
September 23, 2026The RNA Polymerase–Ribosome Dance: Is It Hip Hop or Ballroom in Bacteria?Prof. Gregor Blaha, UC Riverside
September 16, 2026Friends, Romans, Chemists, lend me your earsProf. Niroshika Keppetipola, CSU Fullerton
September 9, 2026Tuning Molecular Motion Enhances Intrinsic Fluorescence in Peptide Amphiphile NanofibersProf. Whitney C. Fowler, Harvey Mudd College
September 2, 2026From Materials Sustainability to Quantum Devices: First-Principles Insights into Dynamic InterfacesProf. Elizabeth Lee, UC Irvine

The Seminar Archive has Department Seminars from previous semesters.

The Department Seminar is supported by The Allergan Foundation.