Amanda Hargrove

Research Professor of Chemistry

The Hargrove lab harnesses the unique properties of small organic molecules to study the structure, function and therapeutic potential of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The discovery of these fascinating biomolecules has caused a paradigm shift in molecular biology and speculation as to their role as the master drivers of diseases such as cancer. At the same time very little is known about their structure and function, leading some to call the field a veritable “wild West.” Small molecules are the perfect tools for such exploration, and the Hargrove lab works at the interface of chemistry and biology, employing methods ranging from RNA-targeted small molecule synthesis and array-based pattern recognition to studies of the molecular and cellular biology of nucleic acids. Collaborations with the Department of Biology as well as colleagues in the School of Medicine ensure that these tools are applied to the most important unsolved problems in the fundamental biology and disease-related actions of long noncoding RNAs.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Research Professor of Chemistry
  • Associate Professor of Biochemistry
  • Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Contact Information

Education

  • B.S. Trinity University, 2004
  • Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin, 2010
  • California Institute of Technology, 2013

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • WCC Rising Star Award. American Chemical Society. 2022
  • Sloan Research Fellowship-Chemistry. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 2020
  • National Science Foundation CAREER Awards - Multiple Sciences. National Science Foundation (NSF). 2018
  • Cottrell Scholars Award . Research Corporation for Science Advancement. 2017

Courses Taught

  • CHEM 81S: Introduction to Research in Chemistry
  • CHEM 511: Chemistry of Biomolecular Interactions
  • CHEM 494: Research Independent Study
  • CHEM 493: Research Independent Study
  • CHEM 394: Research Independent Study
  • CHEM 393: Research Independent Study
  • BIOCHEM 593: Research Independent Study
  • BIOCHEM 393: Research Independent Study

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Zafferani, Martina, Christina Haddad, Le Luo, Jesse Davila-Calderon, Liang-Yuan Chiu, Christian Shema Mugisha, Adeline G. Monaghan, et al. “Amilorides inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro by targeting RNA structures.” Science Advances 7, no. 48 (November 2021): eabl6096. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl6096.
  • Davila-Calderon, Jesse, Neeraj N. Patwardhan, Liang-Yuan Chiu, Andrew Sugarman, Zhengguo Cai, Srinivasa R. Penutmutchu, Mei-Ling Li, Gary Brewer, Amanda E. Hargrove, and Blanton S. Tolbert. “IRES-targeting small molecule inhibits enterovirus 71 replication via allosteric stabilization of a ternary complex.” Nature Communications 11, no. 1 (September 2020): 4775. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18594-3.