Points of Discovery
One of the most groundbreaking and effective treatments for some of the world’s deadliest cancers wasn’t enabled in a pharmaceutical facility or in an Ivy League laboratory — it was synthesized here in the capital of the Sunshine State.
In 1989, Florida State University chemist Robert Holton developed a method to manufacture synthetic Taxol from baccatin III, a biosynthetic Taxol precursor extracted from the yew tree that can be mass produced, which has since been used to save the lives of more than a million ovarian, breast, lung and pancreatic cancer patients. That breakthrough put FSU on the map as an incubator for novel discovery and spawned decades of advancement in drug development.
Such innovative discoveries rest on the foundation of university research, illustrating how work conducted in the FSU College of Arts and Sciences impacts life-or-death outcomes.
James Frederich, the Warner Herz associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, advances medical treatments for often-deadly cancers, and he informs and advises drug development companies in moving newly synthesized molecules from the lab to market, a process that can take decades.
“The Frederich Laboratory is interested in a broad spectrum of research discovery,” said Frederich, who earned a doctorate from the University of California, Irvine in 2011 and joined FSU’s faculty in 2014 after completing an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“Chemical synthesis, or the creation of a new molecule by building upon an existing molecule, is our work’s foundation,” he continued. “We study architecturally complex substances from the natural world, alter them, figure out how they work, and then translate these chemical structures into starting points for drug discovery.”
Among the Frederich Laboratory’s alumni is chemist Kyle Parella, who joined the group in Summer 2018 for a research assistantship. Parella formed connections during his summer at FSU that led to the founding of Cypris Therapeutics, Inc., a drug development startup focused on treating glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain cancer. Through this company, Frederich and Parella, who later earned a chemistry Ph.D. from Clarkson University in New York, continue to collaborate — Frederich is Cypris Therapeutics’ chief science officer and Parella is CEO.
“Our team is a unique, strategic combination of academic and industry partners leveraging world-class expertise in every stage of drug development,” Parella said. “Jim has tackled some of the most challenging problems in chemistry, eventually turning his discoveries into treatments that increase survival rates and quality of life for patients.”
As part of FSU Discovery Days 2024, an annual weeklong celebration of FSU research, creativity, and discovery enterprise, Parella delivered a “Shark Tank”-style pitch about Cypris Therapeutics at the Discover Challenge event, where three startups competed for funding to take FSU-developed technologies to the next phases of development and commercialization. In addition to winning first place, Cypris Therapeutics earned the crowd favorite award, taking home $60,000 in funding.
“Relationships with graduate students can be really powerful,” said Frederich, who also teaches organic chemistry courses and was among eight faculty members to earn a 2024 FSU Developing Scholar Award. “Cypris connects my research with people who are driven to bring drug therapies into the market, and those connections are hard to make because the process requires both business and drug discovery expertise to build momentum.”
Cypris Therapeutics is supported in early-stage development by Ichor Life Sciences, a pre-clinical contract research organization. This connection allows Frederich to advise and enhance science supporting other startups under the Ichor umbrella, including Lento Bio. With Frederich at the helm as the director of medicinal chemistry, Lento Bio focuses on the development of novel treatments for presbyopia, an age-related condition that causes far-sightedness in more than 1.8 billion people worldwide according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
“FSU’s legacy in biomedical chemistry and drug discovery motivates us to explore its next chapter,” said Wei Yang, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “In concert with university-level strategic investments, Dr. Frederich has spearheaded the department’s vision for establishing the Initiative on Molecular BioDesign and Drug Discovery, which will make FSU a premier institution for molecular biomedical research and education.”
Molecules developed in the Frederich Lab in conjunction with Lento Bio will enter human clinical trials within the next two years, marking a shift from experimental to clinical work for the company. Alongside these advances, Frederich and Parella are expanding the focus of Cypris Therapeutics beyond glioblastoma to include colon and pancreatic cancers.
“Natural products are chemical structures produced by fungi, bacteria and plants,” Frederich said. “They continue to be a huge part of the drug discovery pipeline, and we’re well-positioned to make FSU a regional and national leader in this space. Investments in this research mean FSU chemistry graduates will remain highly sought after, as chemical synthesis is foundational to the biopharmaceutical industry. This upholds FSU’s fundamental mission of propelling students into their independent careers in academia, industry and beyond.”
Kendall Cooper is a two-time FSU alumna who earned a master's degree in media and communication studies with a certification in project management in 2025 and a bachelor’s degree in media and communication studies with a double major in editing, writing and media in 2023.