John E. Moses
Professor
Cancer Center Member
Ph.D. (DPhil), University of Oxford, 2004
moses@cshl.edu | 516-367-5560
My group uses click chemistry to study biological systems at the molecular level. We develop and exploit powerful bond-forming click reactions that enable the rapid synthesis of small functional molecules, including cancer drugs and chemical probes. We apply these novel molecular tools in multidisciplinary discovery projects spanning the fields of biology and chemistry.
John Moses’ lab specializes in click chemistry, a powerful discovery method that relies upon the most robust chemical reactions to synthesize functional molecules. Small molecules are important because Nature’s machinery, including proteins, enzymes, and receptors, evolved to interact selectively with molecular ligands, similar to how a key fits a lock.
Using click chemistry, we create molecular probes for studying biological systems that may lead to new treatments for deadly diseases, including cancer. For example, we developed a new class of therapeutic DNA binding ligand that interacts selectively with telomeric regions of the genome involved in cellular maintenance. Several of these telomere binding ligands show remarkable selectivity and potency against cancer cells and tumours.
Further developing click chemistry, we recently described a discovery method called Diversity Oriented Clicking, which exploits a focussed group of reliable click chemistry reactions to achieve structural diversity. Our Diversity-Clicking approach led to the discovery of a new group of antibiotics with activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria, including MRSA.
Through the application of click chemistry, the Moses group is committed to developing Chemistry For Biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Winner: 2021 Organic Division Horizon Prize: Robert Robinson Award in Synthetic Organic Chemistry
Member of the American Chemical Society; 2019
Chartered Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (MRACI CChem); 2018
Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC); 2015
Thieme Chemistry Award; 2011
UK & ROI Lilly Award: Excellence in Organic Chemistry; 2011
King Saud University, Award; 2011
William Boland Award; University of Bath; 2001
Nobel laureate honored at CSHL chemistry symposium
April 15, 2024
“The Future of Click Chemistry” brought together two-time Nobelist K. Barry Sharpless with his former apprentices John Moses and David Tuveson.
Click, click, boom—150 new molecules
April 4, 2024
CSHL Professor John Moses premieres an expansive line of new click chemistry products, uncovering leads for better antibiotics and cancer drugs.
Cocktails & Chromosomes: Molecules to change the world
March 14, 2024
What is CSHL’s John Moses doing with that glowing liquid? Watch our expert chemist get a reaction from the crowd at Industry bar in Huntington, NY.
Test your breast cancer awareness
October 18, 2023
Awareness is key to prevention and potential future treatments. Take this quiz to find out about the latest in breast cancer research at CSHL.
CSHL makes a splash with Swim Across America
August 21, 2023
Since 1987, the charity swim has raised over $100 million for cancer research. Here, CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz voices his support.
CSHL harnesses biology’s favorite chemical
June 7, 2023
Life on Earth depends on phosphorus to give DNA structure. Soon, biology’s chosen chemical could make for new cancer treatments and green materials.
New shape-shifting antibiotics could fight deadly infections
April 4, 2023
CSHL researchers have created a powerful new molecule that combats antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
A new, sustainable source for a promising cancer killer
March 23, 2023
This Malaysian jungle plant produces a chemical with remarkable anticancer properties. Now, CSHL scientists can synthesize that chemical in the lab.
CSHL Helix Society member honors late wife
May 24, 2022
Helix Society member John Broven recently visited CSHL to view a newly installed plaque placed in memory of his late wife.
CSHL in pursuit of shape-shifting antibiotics
April 25, 2022
CSHL Professor John E. Moses was awarded over $325,000 from the New York State Biodefense Commercialization Fund to study a new type of antibiotic.
All Publications
Modular synthesis of functional libraries by accelerated SuFEx click chemistry
13 Mar 2024 | Chemical Science | 15(11):3879-3892
Homer, Joshua, Koelln, Rebecca, Barrow, Andrew, Gialelis, Timothy, Boiarska, Zlata, Steinohrt, Nikita, Lee, Erinna, Yang, Wen-Hsuan, Johnson, Robert, Chung, Taemoon, Habowski, Amber, Vishwakarma, Dharmendra, Bhunia, Debmalya, Avanzi, Charlotte, Moorhouse, Adam, Jackson, Mary, Tuveson, David, Lyons, Scott, Lukey, Michael, Fairlie, W, Haider, Shozeb, Steinmetz, Michel, Prota, Andrea, Moses, John
Protocol for producing phosphoramidate using phosphorus fluoride exchange click chemistry
12 Jan 2024 | STAR Protocols | 5(1):102824
Homer, Joshua, Sun, Shoujun, Koelln, Rebecca, Moses, John
Sulfur fluoride exchange
1 Dec 2023 | Nature Reviews Methods Primers | 3(1)
Homer, J, Xu, L, Kayambu, N, Zheng, Q, Choi, E, Kim, B, Sharpless, K, Zuilhof, H, Dong, J, Moses, J
The certainty of a few good reactions
10 Aug 2023 | Chem | 9(8):2063-2077
Moorhouse, A, Homer, J, Moses, J
Phosphorus fluoride exchange: Multidimensional catalytic click chemistry from phosphorus connective hubs
10 Aug 2023 | Chem | 9(8):2128-2143
Sun, S, Homer, J, Smedley, C, Cheng, Q, Sharpless, K, Moses, J
Ethene-1,1-disulfonyl Difluoride (EDSF) for SuFEx Click Chemistry: Synthesis of SuFExable 1,1-Bissulfonylfluoride Substituted Cyclobutene Hubs
24 Jul 2023 | Angewandte Chemie International Edition | 62(30):e202303916
Smedley, Christopher, Giel, Marie-Claire, Fallon, Thomas, Moses, John
Inhibition of mitochondrial metabolism by (-)-jerantinine A: synthesis and biological studies in triple-negative breast cancer cells
26 Apr 2023 | RSC Medicinal Chemistry | 14(4):710-714
Gialelis, Timothy, Wang, Zifei, Homer, Joshua, Yang, Wen-Hsuan, Chung, Taemoon, Hu, Qingting, Smedley, Christopher, Pawar, Nitin, Upadhyay, Nitinkumar, Tuveson, David, Lyons, Scott, Lukey, Michael, Moses, John
Shapeshifting bullvalene-linked vancomycin dimers as effective antibiotics against multidrug-resistant gram-positive bacteria.
11 Apr 2023 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 120(15):e2208737120
Ottonello, Alessandra, Wyllie, Jessica, Yahiaoui, Oussama, Sun, Shoujun, Koelln, Rebecca, Homer, Joshua, Johnson, Robert, Murray, Ewan, Williams, Paul, Bolla, Jani, Robinson, Carol, Fallon, Thomas, Soares da Costa, Tatiana, Moses, John
Diversity oriented clicking delivers β-substituted alkenyl sulfonyl fluorides as covalent human neutrophil elastase inhibitors
13 Sep 2022 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 119(37):e2208540119
Cheng, Yunfei, Li, Gencheng, Smedley, Christopher, Giel, Marie-Claire, Kitamura, Seiya, Woehl, Jordan, Bianco, Giulia, Forli, Stefano, Homer, Joshua, Cappiello, John, Wolan, Dennis, Moses, John, Sharpless, K
Shapeshifting Antibiotics: Bullvalene Linked Vancomycin Dimers are Effective Against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Positive Bacteria
21 Apr 2022
Ottonello, Alessandra, Wyllie, Jessica, Yahiaoui, Oussama, Murray, Ewan, Williams, Paul, Bolla, Jani, Robinson, Carol, Fallon, Thomas, Soares da Costa, Tatiana, Moses, John