Rate My Professor Luke Guddat

Guddat's research specializes in structural biology and rational drug design, using X-ray crystallography and biophysical techniques to study enzyme mechanisms and develop inhibitors. Targets encompass enzymes in nucleotide biosynthesis, branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis like acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS), metalloenzymes such as purple acid phosphatases, and serine proteases in blood clotting and snake venoms. Applications include herbicides against weeds, antifungals for Aspergillus fumigatus, antimalarials targeting Plasmodium falciparum HGPRT, and antituberculosis agents against Mycobacterium tuberculosis KARI. Key publications comprise "Herbicide-binding sites revealed in the structure of plant acetohydroxyacid synthase" (2006), "Crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ketol-acid reductoisomerase at 1.0 Å resolution" (2016), "Structural basis of resistance to herbicides that target acetohydroxyacid synthase" (2022), "A mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 RNA capping and its inhibition by nucleotide analog inhibitors" (2022), and "Florasulam Is a Potent Inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Acetohydroxyacid Synthase" (2025). His scholarship garners over 20,000 citations on Google Scholar. Guddat has directed NHMRC and ARC grants such as "Acetohydroxyacid synthase: A new drug target for human fungal pathogens" (2015-2018), "Ketol-acid reductoisomerase: An important antituberculosis drug target" (2018-2021), and "Triazolopyrimidines as versatile antibiotics" (2026-2029).