Education

• B.A. Liberal Arts, 2003, St. John’s College, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• B.S. Chemistry, 2011, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado
• Ph.D. Chemistry, 2015, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Postdoctoral Fellow, 2016-2022, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

 Research

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential chemical changes that modulate the structure and function of peptides and proteins. Often these modifications become dysregulated in major diseases including cancer, diabetes, or neurodegenerative disorders, but as these protein modifications transcend the genome, they are difficult to study using traditional biological methods. To address this challenge, our research leverages chemical approaches to investigate the molecular roles of post-translational modifications in disease. In this manner we combine organic synthesis with the cross-disciplinary techniques of chemical biology to develop innovative and creative chemical tools and novel techniques to synthesize and study PTMs of peptides and proteins. Our goal is to advance our collective understanding of PTMs, and ultimately provide new starting points for therapeutics.

Selected Publications

• Aronoff, M. R.; Hiebert, P.; Hentzen, N. B.; Werner, S.; Wennemers, H., Imaging and Targeting LOX-Mediated Tissue Remodeling with a Reactive Collagen Peptide. Nat. Chem. Biol. 2021, 17, 865-871.
• Aronoff, M. R.; Egli, J.; Menichelli, M.; Wennemers, H., γ-Azaproline Confers pH‑Responsiveness and Functionalizability on Collagen Triple Helices. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58,3143-3146.
• Andersen, K. A.^*; Aronoff, M. R.^*; McGrath, N. A.; Raines, R. T., Diazo Groups Endure Metabolism and Enable Chemoselectivity in Cellulo. J. Am. Chem Soc. 2015, 137, 2412-2415.
• Aronoff, M. R.; VanVeller, B.; Raines, R. T., Detection of Boronic Acids through Excited-State Intramolecular Proton-Transfer Fluorescence. Org. Lett. 2013, 15, 5382-5385.
• Aronoff, M. R.; Bourjaily, N. A.; Miller, K. A., A Concise, Protecting Group Free Total Syntheses of (+) Sattabacin and (+)-4-Hydroxysattabacin. Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51, 6375-6377.
• ; Bourjaily, N. A.; Miller, K. A., Concise, Protecting Group Free Total Syntheses of (+) Sattabacin and (+)-4-Hydroxysattabacin. Tetrahedron Lett. 2010, 51, 6375-6377.