Modi Wetzler

Biography

Dr. Wetzler earned a B.A. (1999) from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Ph.D. (2007) from the University of California at Berkeley, developing synthetic methods and medicinal applications for DNA-binding polyamide ligands. He completed his postdoctoral studies at Stanford University (2007-2011) with Dr. Annelise Barron, studying the mechanisms of antimicrobial peptidomimetics called peptoids.

Research Interest

Dr. Wetzler's research utilizes peptoids (N-substituted polyglycines) as a synthetic platform for developing applications in medicinal chemistry, materials and nanotechnology. Peptoids are more easily synthesized than peptides, and retain many of the useful properties of peptides while imparting important new advantages. Medicinally, peptoids are completely resistant to proteases that rapidly cleave most peptide drugs in the blood, and they have also been synthesized with over 230 side chains compared to the natural ~20 amino acids. Advantageously for materials and nanotechnology applications, peptoid structure does not unfold at high temperatures, in organic solvents, or in extreme pH and salt conditions, unlike most proteins.