Dr. Uesugi received his BS and PhD degrees with majors in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Biochemistry from Kyoto University, where he studied the chemistry and biochemistry of antitumor antibiotics and oncogenic natural products. Dr. Uesugi then conducted his postdoctoral work with Dr. Gregory L. Verdine at Harvard University from 1995 to 1998 studying the molecular mechanisms of gene transcription. Dr. Uesugi joined the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine where he has established a unique laboratory in the emerging area of chemical biology. He and his co-workers aim to gain a fundamental understanding of processes that control the gene expression and cell differentiation through the study of small molecules.