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All People

David Frick

  • Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Education

  • Postdoctoral, Harvard Medical School
  • PhD, Johns Hopkins University
  • BA, Franklin & Marshall College

Teaching Schedule

Course Num Title Meets
CHEM 602-001 Biochemistry: Cellular Processes MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
CHEM 602G-001 Biochemistry: Cellular Processes MW 3:30pm-4:45pm
CHEM 604-001 Biochemistry: Metabolism MWF 1:30pm-2:20pm
CHEM 604G-001 Biochemistry: Metabolism MWF 1:30pm-2:20pm
CHEM 932-001 Advanced Seminar in Biochemistry No Meeting Pattern

Research Interests

My lab mainly studies the biochemistry of viral proteins and small molecules that interact with them in order to discover new antiviral drugs. Our main interest, presently, is in targeting helicases encoded by:

  • The hepatitis C virus (HCV)
  • Dengue virus (DENV)
  • West Nile Virus
  • SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19)

Helicases are motor proteins that separate DNA and RNA duplexes and dislodge proteins bound to nucleic acids in reactions fueled by ATP hydrolysis. We also study helicases from human cells, and other viral proteins as drug targets including polymerases, proteases and capsid proteins. The goal of most projects in the lab is either to understand how these proteins help copy viral genomes or to understand how small molecule drugs block virus growth by directly interfering with these important enzymes.

A molecular model of a fluorescent NS3 helicase inhibitor bound to the protein overlaid on a picture of human cells infected with HCV. The human cells also contain the helicase inhibitor, which is visualized in the cytoplasm using fluorescence microscopy Techniques used in our lab:

    • Recombinant DNA technology
    • Protein purification
    • Enzymology
    • Steady state and transient state kinetics
    • Tissue Culture
    • Fluorescence Microscopy
    • Quantitative RT-PCR
    • High throughput screening
    • Absorbance spectroscopy
    • Fluorescence spectroscopy
    • TR-FRET, alpha-screen and FP assays
    • Biocalorimetry
    • Molecular Modeling

Selected Publications

Ralfs, P., Bressanelli, S., Günter, L. M., Gabel, A., Rothhaar, P., Price, K. J., Tubiana, T., Munschauer, M., Frick, D. N., and Lohmann, V. (2025) Nat. Commun. 16, 8006. PMC12391449  
Frick, D. N., Shittu, M., Bock, C. R., Wardle, Z. P., Rauf, A. A., Ramos, J. N., Thomson, J. G., Sheibley, D. J. and O’Handley, S. F. (2025) . Analytical Biochemistry 115713.
Frick, D. N., Bavisotto, R. V., Hopper, N. C. and Tysoe, W. T. (2025) . ACS Chem. Biol. 20, 281-296.   
Zhang, Q., Ali, T., Ponnamperumage, T. N. F., Lin, Z., Setu, N. I., Awoyera, W. O., Oddiri, R. T., Rasmussen, A. D., Felli, M. C., Frick, D. N. and Peng, X. (2025) . Chem Res Toxicol 38, 216-228. 
Rahman, A. F. M. T., Bulbule, S., Belayet, J. B., Benko, A., Gottschalk, C. G., Frick, D. N., Arnold, L. A., Hossain, M. M. and Roy, A. (2024) Cells 13, 1964. 
Belayet, J. B., Beamish, S., Rahaman, M., Alanani, S., Virdi, R. S., Frick, D. N., Rahman, A. F. M. T., Ulicki, J. S., Biswas, S., Arnold, L. A., Roni, M. S. R., Cheng, E. Y., Steeber, D. A., Frick, K. M. and Hossain, M. M. (2022) . J Med Chem 65, 3388-3403. 
Frick, D. N. (2021) . Transpl Infect Dis; 23:13738.
Virdi, R S., Bavisotto, R V., Hopper, N C., Vuksanovic, N, Melkonian, T R., Silvaggi, Nicholas R., and Frick, David N.25.10 (2020): 1162-1170.
Frick, David N., Virdi, R S., Vuksanovic, N, Dahal, N, and Silvaggi, Nicholas R.59.28 (2020): 2608-2615.
Ray, A, and Frick, David N.595. (2020): 113622.
Corby, M J., Raicu, Valerica, and Frick, David N.1111. (2019): 219-240.
Yerukhimovich, M M., Marohnic, C C., and Frick, David N.57.43 (2018): 6247-6255.
Corby, M J., Stoneman, M R., Biener, G, Paprocki, J D., Kolli, R, Raicu, Valerica, and Frick, David N.292.27 (2017): 11165-11177.
Bassetto, M, Leyssen, P, Neyts, J, Yerukhimovich, M M., Frick, David N., and Brancale, A. 123. (2016): 31-47.
Bassetto, M, Ferla, S, Leyssen, P, Neyts, J, Yerukhimovich, M M., Frick, David N., O'Donnell, R, and Brancale, A. (2016).
Bassetto, M, Leyssen, P, Neyts, J, Yerukhimovich, M M., Frick, David N., Courtney-Smith, M, and Brancale, A. 125. (2016): 1115-1131.
Kaushik-Basu, N, Ratmanova, N K., Manvar, D, Belov, D S., Cevik, O, Basu, A, Yerukhimovich, M M., Lukyanenko, E R., Andreev, I A., Belov, G M., Manfroni, G, Cecchetti, V, Frick, David N., Kurkin, A V., Altieri, A, and Barreca, M L.122. (2016): 319-25.
Sweeney, Noreena L., Alicia, Hanson M., Mukherjee, Sourav, Ndjomou, Jean, Geiss, Brian J., Steel, John J., Li, Kelin, Frankowski, Kevin J., Schoenen, Frank J., and Frick, David N.1. (2015): 140-148.
Provazzi, P J., Mukherjee, S, Hanson, A M., Nogueira, M L., Carneiro, B M., Frick, David N., and Rahal, P. 10.12 (2015): e0144638.
Ndjomou, Jean, Corby, M. J., Sweeney, Noreena L., Hanson, Alicia M., Aydin, Cihan, Ali, Akbar, Schiffer, Celia A., Li, Kelin, Frankowski, Kevin J., Schoenen, Frank J., and Frick, David N.10. (2015).