hendrik luesch Discovering a new wave of medicine
The ocean is calling and beneath its surface dwells an unseen power to heal. Dr. Hendrik Luesch explores the world’s oceans in search of natural compounds that treat cancer and other deadly diseases. In these uncharted waters, lies new chemistry, new biology and new cures just waiting to be revealed. His discoveries have already provided the basis for various FDA-approved cancer treatments and new starting points to treat pancreatic, colon, breast and ovarian cancers, as well as ocular and autoimmune diseases. He is also working on the development of broad-spectrum antivirals to combat COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Dr. Hendrik Luesch
Answering the Call
In an ocean of possibilities, Dr. Hendrik Luesch is answering the call to make the next great drug discovery. His work takes him below the surface of the sea, where new medicines harbor hope for a healthier tomorrow.

Meet Dr. Hendrik Luesch
The Scientist
Dr. Hendrik Luesch serves as a professor of medicinal chemistry and the Debbie And Sylvia DeSantis Chair In Natural Products Drug Discovery And Development in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy

The Explorer
From Southeast Asia to the islands in the Florida Keys, Dr. Luesch has traveled the world’s oceans in search of new medicines. The biodiversity of the sea offers immense opportunities for drug discovery.

The Researcher
The Luesch lab lies at the interface of chemistry and biology. Along with a team of researchers at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, his lab is addressing multiple aspects of the drug discovery process.

SUPPORT our work
Give a Gift of Hope
We need partners in our pursuit of new medicines. Your gift will directly support our marine natural products research and deliver hope that our new therapies will cure cancer and other deadly diseases.

UF College of Pharmacy
UF pharmacy professor jointly appointed at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore
University of Florida Professor Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., has been jointly appointed at the Duke-NUS Medical School — a collaboration between Duke University and the National University of Singapore.
UF College of pharmacy
Dr. Hendrik Luesch chairs prestigious Gordon Research Conference on Marine Natural Products
The conference attracted 200 scientists from every continent to discuss the latest developments in marine natural products research.
UF College of pharmacy
Decoding the genes behind dolastatin 10 paves the way for new cancer therapeutics
Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., and Yousong Ding, Ph.D., co-authored the study that identified the genes responsible for producing dolastatin 10.
UF HEALTH
Dr. Luesch Media Gallery
Read more about Hendrik Luesch’s exciting research in drug discovery through these published stories.
Center for Natural Products, drug discovery & Development
INSIDE THE LUESCH LAB
Finding New Organisms and Drug Leads is Only the Beginning
Dr. Hendrik Luesch's lab can perform the entire spectrum of discovery and early development research. His team of researchers can recreate the natural products in the labs by chemical synthesis, optimize their properties (if necessary), characterize the mechanism of action and determine the biological target and perform extensive preclinical testing.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
The Team Behind the Science
Dr. Hendrik Luesch leads a team of scientists in the Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery & Development who aim to fully exploit the biosynthetic and therapeutic potential of untapped biodiversity for drug discovery.
