Profile
James Morris
Genetics and Biochemistry
Professor
Life Sciences Building 249A [Office]
Life Sciences Building 260B [Lab]
Educational Background
Post-doctoral, Fellow, Johns Hopkins SOM, 2002
Ph.D., Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, 1997
MS, Entomology, University of Georgia, 1992
BS, Biology, College of William and Mary, 1990
Profile/About Me
EPIC Faculty
Courses Taught
GEN3000: Introduction to Genetics for Non-majors
BCHM3050: Introduction to Biochemistry for Non-majors
GEN3020: Introduction to Genetics
GEN3020H: Introduction to Genetics Honors Course
GEN3030: Introduction to Genetics Laboratory
GEN4910: Directed Research in Genetics,
GEN4910H: Honors College course, Directed Research in Genetics.
BCHM4910: Directed Research in Biochemistry
BCHM4910H: Honors College course, Directed Research in Biochemistry
GEN/BCHM8200: Proteomics and Genomics
GEN/BCHM8900: Special Topics, “Molecular Pathogenesisâ€
GEN/BCHM8900: Special Topics, “Molecular Parasitologyâ€
HON2060: "Pandemics: Pending extinction?"
BCHM4430: Molecular and Biochemical Basis for Disease
Selected Publications
1. Call, D; Adjei, JA, Pilgrim, R, Jeong, JW, Willis, EV, Zegarra, RA, Osterhaus, M, Vance, JA, Votyon, CM, Call, JA, Pizarro; S; Morris, JC; Christensen, KA. A Multiplexed High Throughput Screening Assay using Flow Cytometry Identifies Glycolytic Molecular Probes in Bloodstream Form Trypanosoma brucei. The International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance (2024) Dec 26, 100557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100557
2. Lish, MS, Milanes, JE, Palmentiero, C, Pomeroy, J, Roster, C, Guzei, I, Morris, JC, Golden, JE. Establishment and optimization of saturated 1,6-naphthyridine-fused quinazolinones that Inhibit meningoencephalitis-causing Naegleria fowleri (Submitted) Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
3. Milanes, JE, Yan, VC, Pham, C-D, Muller, F, Kwain, S, Rees, KC, Dominy, BN, Whitehead, DC, Millward, SW, Bolejack, M, Abendroth, J, Phan, IQ, Staker, B, Moseman EA, Zhang, X, Xipeng, M, Jebet, A, Yin, X, Morris, JC. Enolase inhibitors as therapeutic leads for Naegleria fowleri infection. PLOS Pathogens (2024) 20(8): e1012412. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1012412
4. Call, D*; Pizarro; S*; Morris, MT; Tovey, E: Knight, E; Baumgardner, C; Christensen, KA; Morris, JC. Measuring dynamic glycosomal pH changes in living Trypanosoma brucei. JoVE (2024) Jan 19:(203):10.3791/66279
5. Pomeroy, J; Khalifa, M; Milanes, J: Palmentiero, C; Morris, J, Golden, J. Synthesis and evaluation of benzylamine inhibitors of neuropathogenic Naegleria fowleri “Brain-Eating Amoeba”. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters (2024), 15, 1, 87-92.
6. Roster, CP; LaVigne D; Milanes, JE; Knight, E; Anderson ,HD; Pizarro; S; Harding: EJ; Morris, MT; Yan, VC; Pham, CD; Muller, F; Kwain, S; Rees, KC; Dominy, B; Whitehead, DC; Nasir Uddin, Md; Millward, SW; Morris, JC. Enolase inhibitors as early lead therapeutics against Trypanosoma brucei. Pathogens (2023), 12 (11), 1290; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12111290 (registering DOI)
7. Kassu, Mintesinot; Parvatkar, Prakash; Milanes, Jillian; Monaghan, Neil; Kim, Chungsik; Dowgiallo, Matthew; Zhao, David Yingzhao; Asakawa, Ami; Huang, Lili; Wagner, Alicia; Miller, Brandon; Carter, Karissa; Tillery, Logan ; Barrett, Kayleigh; Barrett, Lynn; Phan, Isabelle; Subramanian, Sandhya; Myler, Peter; Van Voorhis, Wesley; Leahy, James; Rice, Christopher; Kyle, Dennis; Morris, James; Manetsch, Roman. Shotgun kinetic target-guided synthesis approach enables the discovery of small molecule inhibitors against pathogenic free-living amoeba glucokinases. ACS Infectious Disease (2023) doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00284
8. Lish, MS, Milanes, JE, Sanders, KM, Guzei, IA, Morris, JC, Golden, JE. Intramolecular Mannich-type condensation and domino quinazolinone-amidine rearrangement affords ring-fused mackinazolinones with anti-amoebic activity. Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis (2023) https://doi.org/10.1002/adsc.202300994 (Noted as a “Very Important Publication” by the referees and editors of the journal)
9. Milanes, JE, Kwain, S, Drawdy, A, Dodson, L, Monaghan, MT, Rice, CA, Dominy, BN, Whitehead, DC, Morris, JC. Glucose metabolism in the pathogenic free-living amoebae: Tempting targets for treatment development. Chemical Biology & Drug Design (2023) https://doi.org/10.1111/cbdd.14377
10. Milanes, JE, Suryadi, J, Monaghan, NP, Harding, EM, Morris, CS, Rozema, SD, Khalifa, MM, Golden, JE, Phan IQ, Zigweid, R, Abendroth, J, Rice, CA, McCord, HT, Wilson, S, Fenwick, MK, Morris, JC. Characterization of gluckokinases from pathogenic free-living amoebae. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (2022), DOI:10.1128/aac.02373-21
11. Osterberg, J., Milanes, J., Morris, J, and Wang, P. Detection of Trypanosoma brucei by microwave cytometry. Sensors and Actuators Reports (2022), 4, DOI:100074https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snr.2022.100074
12. Tillery, L, Barret, K, Goldstein, J, Lassner JW, Osterhout, B, Tran, NL, Xu, L, Young, R, Craig, IC, Chun, I, Dranow, DM, Abendroth, J, Delker, SL, Davies, DR, Mayclin, SJ, Calhoun, B, Bolejack, MJ, Staker, B, Subramanian, S, Phan, IQ, Lorimer, DD, Myler, PJ, Edwards, TE, Kyle, DE, Rice, CA, Morris, JC, Leahy, JW, Manetsch, R, Barrett, LK, Smith, CL, Van Voorhis, W. Naegleria fowleri: protein structures to facilitate drug discovery for the deadly, pathogenic free-living amoeba. PLoS ONE (2021) 16(3): e0241738. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241738
13. Phan, IQ, Rice, CA, Craig, J, Noorai, RE, McDonald, J, Subramanian, S, Tillery, L, Barrett, LK, Shankar, V, Morris, JC, Van Voorhis, WC, Kyle, DE, Myler, PJ. The transcriptome of Balamuthia mandrillaris trophozoites for structure-based drug design. (2021) Scientific Reports 11, 21664.
14. Khalifa, M, Di Genova, M, McAlpine, S, Rozema, S, Monaghan, N, Morris, J, Knoll, L, Golden, J. Dual stage picolinic acid derived inhibitors of Toxoplasma gondii (2020) ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters 11, 12, 2382-2388. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00267
15. Srivastava, S, Darling, J, Suryadi, J, Morris, J, Drew, M, Subramaniam, S. Plasmodium vivax and human hexokinases share similar active sites but display distinct quaternary architectures. (2020) IUCrJ, 7, 453-461.
16. Voyton, C, Choi, J., Qiu, Y., Ackroyd, CP, Morris, MT, Morris, JC, Christensen, KA. A microfluidic-based microscopy platform for continuous interrogation of Trypanosoma brucei during environmental perturbation. (2019) Biochemistry, 58, 875-882.
17. Milanes, JE, Suryadi, J, Abendroth, J, Van Voorhis, WC, Barrett, KF, Dranow, DM, Phan, IQ, Patrick, SL, Rozema, SD, Khalifa, MM, Golden, JE, Morris, JC. Enzymatic and structural characterization of the Naegleria fowleri glucokinase. (2019) Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 63, e02410-18; DOI: 10.1128/AAC.2410-18.
