Organic Seminar - Yang Hai
Sep
22
2025
Description
The Organic Seminar Series presents - Yang Hai
UC Santa Barbara
Host: Ben Liu
Title: Natural Product Biosynthesis and Biocatalysis
Location: WEL 2.122
Refreshments served at 3:15pm
Nature generates an extraordinary diversity of structurally complex, bioactive molecules that shape ecological interactions and inspire new therapeutics. To produce these molecules, organisms have evolved enzymes capable of catalyzing remarkable chemical transformations. My research group studies how such natural products are assembled, with two main goals: uncovering new enzymatic chemistry and repurposing these catalysts as tools for biocatalysis.
In this seminar, I will highlight our recent work on the biosynthetic pathways of fungal pyrrolizidine and indolizidine alkaloids, including loline and swainsonine, which reveal unexpected enzymatic strategies. I will also showcase how we have repurposed biosynthetic enzymes to expand the biocatalytic toolbox and enable efficient access to complex molecules.