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Ullah Lab

Lab · Howard University

The research story of Hemayet Ullah, Principal Investigator, in 9 beats — then what the lab knows and what it offers.

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About this case

Welcome to the open-source case for Ullah Lab. Hemayet Ullah's story is worth the telling because of its throughline: a plant-science student who left the University of Dhaka for an MS at NC State and a PhD at UNC Chapel Hill has built a career on a single, stubborn question — how a cell's signalling hubs decide when to grow and how to withstand stress — and followed it from plant G proteins to their structural cousin RACK1. At Howard University, his lab is where that question lives now, probing how these hubs integrate growth and stress signals and whether molecules aimed at them can tune outcomes in crops, viral infection and cancer, all while bringing students into science. The Research Story traces how this PI and his central question came to be; the Golden Circle sets out why he does the work, how, and what it has produced — including the finding that the G-protein alpha subunit GPA1 positively modulates cell division (Science, 2001); and the Research Lean Canvas grounds it in a tangible problem, crops failing in salty soil, and the rice growers on salt-affected land who carry it.

The Problems, in Plain Words
Keeping crops alive in salty soil

Salty soil makes rice leaves yellow early and cuts harvests, a problem that grows as the climate changes. Ullah studies RACK1, a protein that works like a switchboard for a plant's stress and growth signals. In rice, boosting RACK1B kept leaves green under salt by slowing chlorophyll breakdown; in Arabidopsis, losing RACK1A left plants salt-sensitive. He has also made small molecules that turn the switchboard up or down; one boosted root growth and could become a root-inducing bio-stimulant for growers. s18s41s22s4s9s11

Stopping viruses that hijack our cells

Many viruses copy themselves by borrowing a protein from the cells they infect, RACK1, to read their own genetic instructions. Ullah solved the first 3D structure of a RACK1 protein and, with Georgetown chemists, designed small molecules that fit its working spot. In lab-grown cells they stopped herpes simplex virus about as well as the standard drug acyclovir, and worked better alongside it. In a later preprint, the same compounds cut HIV-1 and hepatitis C reporter activity and reduced HIV protein production in infected cells. It is like changing the lock on a tool the burglar needs instead of chasing the burglar: aiming at the host protein rather than the fast-changing virus is why the approach could reach many viruses. s8s1s33s23

Telling an active infection from leftover virus

Standard COVID tests find the virus's genetic material, but they cannot tell a virus that is still copying itself from harmless leftover fragments, which muddies decisions about quarantine and treatment. A replicating coronavirus makes a mirror-image copy of its RNA (the negative strand), so Ullah proposed testing for that copy instead. With Princeton's Cameron Myhrvold, he prototyped a CRISPR-based paper test strip that detects only replicating coronaviruses. It is like checking whether the stove is still lit rather than whether the pan is warm. Both studies are preprints, not yet peer reviewed. s29s27

Hitting a weak spot coronaviruses cannot mutate away

New variants dodge drugs by mutating. Ullah targets a stretch of repeated U letters (the 5′-polyU tract) on the virus's mirror-image strand: the virus needs it, it is conserved across variants, and human cells carry no such tract. In mouse-coronavirus experiments, a short designed DNA strand aimed at that tract prevented virus-induced cell death and stopped infectious virus from forming, while host cells were unaffected. The same tract could also serve as an early marker of infection. These results are preprints from cell experiments. s31s30

Slowing cancer that spreads

Some cancers become deadly when tumour cells start moving and invading new tissue, and RACK1 helps drive that movement. In lab tests on two breast-cancer cell lines, Ullah's RACK1 inhibitor compounds (SD29 and SD29-14) stopped the cells growing the protrusions they crawl with and cut their migration and invasion (preprint). He and Georgetown's Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy have a U.S. patent application covering these compounds for cancers in which RACK1 drives cell migration. It is the same switchboard idea again: block the protein the cancer relies on to move. s32s25

Act One

How Ullah Lab came to be

First the arc at a glance, then the story in 9 drawn beats.

The arc · 7 milestones
  1. 1
    Plant roots

    From Dhaka to North Carolina, a plant-science student earned an MS at NC State and a PhD at UNC Chapel Hill. s21

  2. 2
    How cells read signals

    In Alan Jones's lab he traced how plant cells use G proteins to drive division, germination and water-controlling guard cells. s35s37s36s34

  3. 3
    A turn to RACK1

    At Howard from 2004 he took up RACK1, a G-beta lookalike, and solved the first crystal structure of any RACK1. s21s38s22s1

  4. 4
    Mapping what RACK1 does

    He charted its contacts and phosphorylation switch, and showed it steers salt tolerance and keeps rice leaves green. s3s6s9s18

  5. 5
    Drugging the hotspot

    With Georgetown he designed molecules for RACK1's working spot, tuning roots and blocking herpes in cells; joint patents 2023-2026. s11s8s26

  6. 6
    Same logic, new foes

    Preprints applied the approach to coronavirus with a DNA strand and CRISPR strip, then to HIV-1 and breast-cancer cells. s31s30s29s27s33s32

  7. 7
    Bringing students in

    Alongside the science he mentors undergrads through phage genomics, teaching tools and an exhibit on Black plant scientists. s14s17s19s45s20s13s12

Now the fuller story, drawn beat by beat↓
Illustration: Once upon a time...
01 / 09
Once upon a time...

A plant-science student from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, came to North Carolina for an MS at NC State and then a PhD at UNC Chapel Hill.

s21
Illustration: Every day...
02 / 09
Every day...

In Alan Jones's group, Hemayet Ullah asked how plant cells read signals through G proteins. He showed that the alpha subunit drives cell division, the beta subunit reins in auxin-triggered division, and the pathway shapes seed germination and the guard cells that control water loss. That first-author work appeared in Science, Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell.

s35s37s36s34
Illustration: Until one day...
03 / 09
Until one day...

After a postdoc at the NIH's environmental health institute, he joined Howard University in 2004 and turned to RACK1, a protein built like the G-protein beta subunit he had studied. He solved the first crystal structure of any RACK1 protein.

s21s38s22s1
Illustration: Because of that...
04 / 09
Because of that...

Next he mapped what RACK1 touches and how phosphorylation switches it on, and showed that it shapes salt tolerance in Arabidopsis and keeps rice leaves green under salt.

s3s6s9s18
Illustration: Because of that...
05 / 09
Because of that...

With Georgetown's Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy he designed small molecules against the structure's working spot. In plants they tuned root growth. In lab-grown cells (not yet in patients) they held back herpes simplex virus, which, like many viruses, borrows RACK1 to make its proteins. The partnership has produced jointly assigned Howard–Georgetown patents, granted from 2023 to 2026.

s11s8s26
Illustration: Because of that...
06 / 09
Because of that...

When COVID-19 arrived he applied the same logic to the coronavirus: a designed DNA strand aimed at a stretch of its RNA that new variants keep, and, with Princeton's Cameron Myhrvold, a CRISPR test strip that picks up only actively replicating virus. Both are preprints.

s31s30s29s27
Illustration: Until finally...
07 / 09
Until finally...

He has carried the same RACK1 compounds into new targets: HIV-1 in infected cells, and spreading breast-cancer cells. Both results are preprints.

s33s32
Illustration: Ever since then...
08 / 09
Ever since then...

Alongside the science he brings students in: phage genome papers co-authored with undergraduates, a national genomics research course, genome-editing teaching tools, and an exhibit honouring pioneering Black plant scientists.

s14s17s19s45s20s13s12
Illustration: And the moral of the story is...
09 / 09
And the moral of the story is...

A question about how a small weed's cells pass signals can lead, over one career, to new ways of fighting viruses: aim at what the invader depends on, not at the invader.

s35s8s24
Act Two

Why it exists

Start at the belief at the center — then the circle zooms out through the method and the offer.

WHY

Hemayet Ullah has spent his career on one question: how a cell's signalling hubs decide when to grow and how to withstand stress. He wants the answer to matter, for crops in salty soil, for viral infections and for cancers that spread, and for the students he brings into science.

s35s37s22s18s8s32s12s14
HOW

He follows one family of proteins wherever it leads: from G proteins in his PhD to RACK1, its structural cousin. He works structure first, then partners and switches, then designed molecules, and he crosses kingdoms, from weeds and rice to viruses and cancer cells, through partners at Georgetown, Howard's College of Medicine and Princeton. Along the way he turns research into teaching.

s37s22s1s3s11s8s7s33s27s20s45
WHAT

Papers that shaped plant G-protein biology (two in Science, plus Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell); the first RACK1 crystal structure; salt-tolerance findings in rice; compound candidates against viruses and cancer-cell migration, co-invented with Georgetown; prototype tests for active coronavirus infection (preprints); and the Ullah Lab at Howard, where students co-author phage genomes and learn genome editing.

s34s35s36s37s1s18s8s32s26s27s29s14s20
Before the canvas

The Patents, from the Lab's View

The patents that came out of each line of the work, in the order of the PI’s career — what they protect, and what a patent analysis suggests they could make possible. Statuses come from the patent records; analysis is labelled.

Plant G proteins · 1 expired filing

From his UNC years in Alan Jones's group: an international filing on improving plant traits by altering the activity of the G-protein alpha and beta subunits. It is assigned to UNC Chapel Hill, with Ullah one of eight inventors. s46

WO2004/003146A2 · Expired
  • What it could make possibleCrops tuned for flowering time, seed yield, root growth and plant shape by turning down two signalling genes, GPA1 and AGB1. s47Patent analysis
RACK1 and plant stress · 2 applications

Two applications with Georgetown's Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy, assigned to Howard, on methods for modulating a plant's response to environmental stress. s48s50

US20150119250A1 · ApplicationUS20180360043A1 · Application
  • What it could make possibleSmall molecules that work RACK1A's tyrosine-248 switch to help crops cope with salt, drought and heat, or to leave weeds more vulnerable. s49s51Patent analysis
  • Who it servesGrowers facing drought and salty soil, and weed management. s49s51Patent analysis
Host-targeted antivirals · 3 granted patents

Three granted patents with Dakshanamurthy, assigned to Howard, on methods for treating viral infection. The compounds aim at RACK1, a protein in our own cells that many viruses borrow to make their proteins. s52s54s56s8s33

US11576901B2 · GrantedUS11596623B2 · GrantedUS12678425B2 · Granted
  • What they could make possibleAntivirals that block the cell protein a virus depends on instead of the virus itself; one pairs the compounds with the standard herpes drugs acyclovir and valacyclovir. s53s55s57Patent analysis
  • Who it servesPeople with HIV-1, herpes and enterovirus D68 infections; EV-D68 is linked to a polio-like paralysis that mostly affects children. s53s55Patent analysis
Cancer spread · 1 application

An application with Dakshanamurthy, assigned to Howard, on compounds against the migration and invasion of cancer cells. s58

US20220168277A1 · Application
  • What it could make possibleDrugs that keep cancer cells from moving and invading by switching off RACK1 at its Y246 site, so far tested in glioblastoma and breast-cancer cells in the lab. s59Patent analysis
  • Who it servesPeople with cancers in which RACK1 helps drive the spread. s59Patent analysis
The coronavirus RNA target · 2 applications

Two applications, assigned to Howard, on treating and detecting coronavirus by targeting a stretch of its RNA: one by Ullah alone, one with Saadyah Averick on a targeted oligo. s60s62

US20230183703A1 · ApplicationUS20260209766A1 · Application
  • What it could make possibleTreatments and tests aimed at the 5′-poly(U) stretch of the virus's negative-strand RNA, a sequence absent from human cells. s61s63Patent analysis
The active-infection test · 1 application

An international application with Darnell Davis, assigned to Howard, on rapid lateral-flow detection of actively replicating coronavirus infection. s64

WO2025226671A1 · Application
  • What it could make possibleA quick strip test that tells an active, replicating infection from leftover viral fragments, using CRISPR-Cas13a to spot negative-sense RNA. s65Patent analysis
  • Who it servesClinicians and public-health teams deciding on isolation and treatment. s65Patent analysis
Act Three

The Research Lean Canvas

The need, the work, the path: who has the problem, what the PI brings to it, and how it reaches people. Every cell cited.

Central Question

How do signalling hubs (first plant G proteins, now their structural cousin RACK1) integrate a cell's growth and stress signals, and can molecules aimed at those hubs tune them in crops, viral infection and cancer? s35s37s22s1s11s8s32

The NeedThe problem, who has it, and what changes for them
The Problem
  • Crops failing in salty soilSalt makes rice leaves yellow early and cuts harvests, a problem that grows as the climate changes. s18
  • Viruses that hijack our cellsMany viruses, including herpes simplex and HIV-1, borrow the host protein RACK1 to make their own proteins. s8s33
  • Not knowing whether an infection is still activeStandard COVID tests cannot tell replicating virus from leftover fragments, which muddies quarantine and treatment decisions. s29s27
  • Coronaviruses that mutate past our drugsNew coronavirus variants escape treatments by mutating. s30s31
  • Cancer that spreadsTumour cells become deadly when they start moving and invading new tissue, and RACK1 helps drive that movement. s32
Who Has It
  • Rice growers on salt-affected landThe salinity work is framed around reducing salt's yield penalty on cereal crops such as rice under climate change. s18
  • Growers looking for a root boosterThe auxin-stimulating compound is described as having potential as a root-inducing bio-stimulant. s11
  • People with viral infections, and the drug makers treating themThe RACK1 compounds are positioned as host-targeted, broad antiviral candidates for the many viruses that use IRES-based translation. s8s33
  • Clinicians and public-health teams deciding on quarantineTests that tell replicating from non-replicating virus are framed as a guide to quarantine and treatment decisions. s29s27
  • People with cancers that RACK1 helps spreadA patent application covers the compounds for cancers in which RACK1 positively regulates cell migration. s25s32
What Changes
  • Crops that stay green under saltBoosting RACK1B kept rice leaves green and delayed senescence under salinity. s18Peer-reviewed
  • Antivirals that viruses can't easily outrunAiming at the host protein rather than the virus could reach many viruses; the same compounds cut HIV-1 and hepatitis C reporter activity in cells. s8s33Preprint
  • A test strip that shows whether an infection is still activeA CRISPR lateral-flow prototype, built with Princeton, that detects only replicating coronavirus. s27Preprint
  • Drugs aimed at a part of the virus that new variants keepA designed DNA strand against the conserved 5′-polyU tract stopped infectious mouse coronavirus forming in cells. s30s31Preprint
  • Slowing cancer's spreadRACK1 inhibitors cut migration and invasion of two breast-cancer cell lines in the lab. s32Preprint
The WorkWhat the PI knows, can do, and has shown
What They Know
  • How plant cells read the signals that tell them to growPlant heterotrimeric G-protein signalling: his doctoral work showed how G-protein subunits control cell division, seed germination and guard cells. s34s35s36s37
  • RACK1, a switchboard protein that routes a cell's messagesRACK1 scaffold-protein signal transduction: a structural cousin of the G-protein beta subunit that integrates signals from several pathways. s4s22
  • Working out a protein's 3D shape to see how it worksStructural biology of WD40 β-propeller proteins, including the first crystal structure of any RACK1 protein. s1s5
  • How crops cope with salt and respond to their own hormonesPlant abiotic stress and hormone signalling (salt, ABA, auxin, gibberellin) in Arabidopsis and rice. s2s9s11s18
  • Fighting viruses by targeting what they borrow from usHost-targeted antivirals and RNA-virus diagnostics. s8s33s29s27s30
What They Can Do
  • Seeing a protein's exact 3D shapeX-ray crystallography: solved Arabidopsis RACK1A at 2.4 Å, the first RACK1 structure. s1
  • Finding which proteins work togetherSplit-ubiquitin cDNA library screening, which found 97 potential RACK1A partners. s3
  • Flipping a protein's on/off switches to test what they doSite-directed mutagenesis of phosphorylation sites, with stress-assay readouts. s6
  • Growing plants with one gene removed or boostedKnockout and activation-tagged transgenic lines in Arabidopsis and rice. s2s16s18
  • Designing small molecules that fit a protein's working spotStructure-based small-molecule design and binding validation, with Georgetown. s8s11
  • Testing treatments in infected and cancer cellsAntiviral assays (herpes simplex, HIV-1, mouse coronavirus) and migration and invasion assays in breast-cancer cells. s8s33s30s31s32
  • Building tests that show whether an infection is still activeStrand-specific RNA detection and a CRISPR lateral-flow prototype, with Princeton. s29s27
Proof So Far
  • A switch that tells plant cells to divideThe G-protein alpha subunit GPA1 positively modulates cell division (Science, 2001; 374 citations per OpenAlex as of 29 Oct 2026). s35Peer-reviewed
  • The same switch helps plants hold on to waterGPA1 is needed for ABA regulation of guard-cell ion channels (Science, 2001; 513 citations per OpenAlex as of 29 Oct 2026). s34Peer-reviewed
  • A brake on hormone-driven cell divisionThe G-protein beta subunit negatively regulates auxin-induced cell division (The Plant Cell, 2003). s37Peer-reviewed
  • The first 3D picture of RACK1The first crystal structure of any RACK1 protein, Arabidopsis RACK1A at 2.4 Å (2008). s1Peer-reviewed
  • A map of 97 possible partners for RACK1Potential RACK1A interactors across dehydration, salt-stress, ribosomal and photosynthesis pathways. s3Peer-reviewed
  • Lab-made molecules that stop herpes about as well as the standard drugRACK1-targeting compounds inhibit HSV-1 with efficacy similar to acyclovir in cells, and more strongly in combination. s8Peer-reviewed
  • Rice that stays green in salty soilOsRACK1B gain of function gives a stay-green phenotype under salinity and delays senescence. s18Peer-reviewed
The PathHow the work reaches people, and who sustains it
Paths to Impact
  • Research papersPublished across plant and biomedical science, from Science and PNAS to Frontiers in Plant Science and Oncotarget. s34s38s4s8
  • Patents with GeorgetownJustia lists patents granted to Ullah and Dakshanamurthy, jointly assigned to Howard and Georgetown, from 2023 to 2026; a separate application covers the cancer-migration compounds. s26s25
  • Sharing results earlyThe coronavirus, HIV/HCV and breast-cancer results are posted as preprints on bioRxiv and Preprints.org. s27s29s30s31s32s33
  • Teaching through researchUndergraduates co-author phage genome papers; a national genomics research course; RUBY genome-editing teaching tools. s14s17s19s45s20
  • Opening plant science to more peopleAn outreach roadmap for plant science and an HBCU exhibit recognising pioneering Black plant scientists. s12s13
Team & Partners
  • A chemistry partner at GeorgetownSivanesan Dakshanamurthy, on the RACK1 compounds, the antiviral and cancer work and the joint patents. s8s11s32s33s26
  • Virology colleagues at HowardQiyi Tang on Zika, herpes and mouse coronavirus; Sergei Nekhai on HIV-1. s7s8s30s31s33
  • A diagnostics partner at PrincetonCameron Myhrvold's group, on the CRISPR lateral-flow test. s27
  • The mentors who trained himAlan Jones and Jin-Gui Chen at UNC Chapel Hill; David Armstrong's Membrane Signaling Group at NIEHS. s34s35s36s37s38
  • Student researchersDarnell Davis is first author on the active-infection test preprints; undergraduates co-author the phage genome papers. s29s27s14
How It's Sustained
  • Federal science fundingNIH (including NIMHD, NIAID and NCI) and the National Science Foundation, acknowledged on his papers. s1s7s8s11s14s15s17s32s16s18s40
  • A science philanthropyHHMI supports the Howard SEA-PHAGES papers. s14s17s19
  • Defense and AIDS research fundingThe HIV-1 preprint acknowledges the Department of Defense and the DC Center for AIDS Research. s33
Unfair Advantage
  • A career-long line from G proteins to RACK1He solved the first RACK1 structure and co-invented compounds against it with Georgetown, then carried them into crops, viruses and cancer cells. s37s22s1s8s11s32
The evidence base · from the publication record
  • 15h-indexOpenAlex · as of Oct 29, 2026
  • 18i10-indexOpenAlex · as of Oct 29, 2026
  • 12-year mean citednessOpenAlex · as of Oct 29, 2026
  • 44WorksOpenAlex · as of Oct 29, 2026
  • 2128Total citationsOpenAlex · as of Oct 29, 2026
Trajectory
  • Publication record: 39 approved papers, 2001–2025 s1s2s3s4s5s6s7s8s9s10s11s12s13s14s15s16s17s18s19s20s27s28s29s30s31s32s33s34s35s36s37s38s39s40s41s42s43s44s45
  • 2001–2008: Arabidopsis, Arabidopsis Proteins, Signal Transduction (9 papers) s1s34s35s36s37s38s39s43s44
  • 2009–2016: Arabidopsis, Arabidopsis Proteins, Receptors for Activated C Kinase (7 papers) s2s3s4s5s6s28s42
  • 2017–2025: Signal Transduction, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research, Arabidopsis (23 papers) s7s8s9s10s11s12s13s14s15s16s17s18s19s20s27s29s30s31s32s33s40s41s45
  • Emerging since 2017: SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research, Animal Virus Infections Studies, interferon and immune responses s29s30s31
  • Earlier focus, not seen after 2008: GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins, Mutation s34s35s36s37
Collaboration network
  • 257 distinct co-authors across 39 papers; 112 identified by ORCID s1s2s3s4s5s6s7s8s9s10s11s12s13s14s15s16s17s18s19s20s27s28s29s30s31s32s33s34s35s36s37s38s39s40s41s42s43s44s45
  • Recurring collaborator: Alan M. Jones (ORCID 0000-0002-2365-6462) — 5 shared papers s34s35s36s37s44
  • Recurring collaborator: Chen JG (ORCID 0000-0002-1752-4201) — 5 shared papers s2s35s36s37s44
  • Recurring collaborator: Allen AD (ORCID 0000-0002-8952-7233) — 4 shared papers s14s17s19s45
  • Recurring collaborator: Dakshanamurthy S (ORCID 0000-0003-3681-4121) — 4 shared papers s8s11s32s33
  • Recurring collaborator: Fernando LM — 4 shared papers s14s17s19s28
  • Co-authors from 62 other institutions beyond Howard University; most frequent: Georgetown University Medical Center (4 papers), Alabama A&M University (3 papers), University of North Carolina (3 papers) s4s5s7s8s10s11s12s13s14s16s17s19s20s27s30s31s32s33s34s35s36s37s38s40s43s44s45
Topic clusters
  • Arabidopsis — 9 papers (2001–2021) s1s2s3s9s11s34s35s36s37
  • Arabidopsis Proteins — 9 papers (2001–2021) s1s2s3s9s11s34s35s36s37
  • Signal Transduction — 9 papers (2001–2022) s1s9s10s11s16s34s35s36s38
  • Receptors for Activated C Kinase — 5 papers (2008–2021) s1s2s3s9s11
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant — 4 papers (2003–2022) s2s9s16s37
  • GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits — 4 papers (2001–2003) s34s35s36s37
Funding profile
  • National Institutes of Health — acknowledged on 5 papers (2006–2023) s29s32s33s38s43
  • National Science Foundation — acknowledged on 5 papers (2002–2023) s16s18s36s40s45
  • NIMHD NIH HHS — acknowledged on 5 papers (2019–2022) s7s8s14s15s17
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) — acknowledged on 3 papers (2021–2023) s14s17s19
  • National Cancer Institute — acknowledged on 2 papers (2003–2021) s32s37
Act Four

The research behind the case

The researcher, the program, the field it serves, who funds and partners on it, and the publication record. Every line cited.

Researcher Biography, Training & Lineage
  • Hemayet Ullah earned a BS in Plant Science at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and an MS in Plant Science at North Carolina State University at Raleigh. s21
  • He completed a PhD in Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2002, researching plant G-protein coupled signaling in Alan Jones's group. s21s35s37
  • His PhD work produced first-author papers in Science (2001), Plant Physiology (2002) and The Plant Cell (2003) on how G-protein subunits control plant cell division, seed germination and auxin responses, plus a co-authored 2001 Science paper on G-protein control of guard cells. s35s36s37s34
  • He did postdoctoral training at the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), in the Membrane Signaling Group, where he co-authored a 2006 PNAS paper on rapid thyroid-hormone receptor signaling at the cell membrane. s21s38
  • He joined Howard University's Department of Biology as a faculty member in 2004, where the Ullah Lab is the current home of his research. Howard's faculty profile lists him as a professor of biology; an earlier DC Center for AIDS Research profile lists him as an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. s21s22s23
  • There is a through-line from his PhD to today: RACK1, the protein at the centre of his Howard work, is a structural homolog of the G-protein beta subunit he studied at UNC. s22s37
  • He is first author of the 2008 paper presenting the first crystal structure of any RACK1 protein, with an NIH intramural grant acknowledged and NIEHS colleagues on the Protein Data Bank deposit. s1s39
  • His publishing on this case runs from 2001 to 2025: UNC Chapel Hill through 2004, NIEHS in 2006, and Howard University's Department of Biology from then on. s35s44s38s43s1s20
Research Program, Central Question & Capabilities
  • Ullah's central interest is signal transduction through RACK1 (Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1), a structural homolog of the G-protein beta subunit that acts as a scaffold integrating signals from different pathways; the Ullah Lab at Howard is where he pursues it. s22s4
  • Foundation: his doctoral work showed that the Arabidopsis G-protein alpha subunit GPA1 positively modulates cell division, that the beta subunit negatively regulates auxin-induced cell division, and that GPA1 is needed for ABA regulation of guard-cell ion channels. s35s37s34
  • Structure: he solved Arabidopsis RACK1A at 2.4 Å resolution, the first crystal structure of a RACK1 protein, revealing conserved surface residues and likely post-translational modification sites. s1s39
  • Interactome: a split-ubiquitin cDNA library screen with RACK1A as bait found 97 potential interacting proteins from dehydration, salt-stress, ribosomal and photosynthesis pathways. s3
  • Regulation: RACK1A is tyrosine phosphorylated in response to environmental stresses, and that phosphorylation can dictate homo-dimerization, which plays a role in UV-B-induced oxidative stress resistance. s6s10
  • Hormones and stress: RACK1A is implicated in D-allose-mediated inhibition of seed germination and in miR393-regulated salt stress responses linking ABA and auxin signaling. s2s9
  • Small-molecule modulation: compounds targeting the RACK1A Tyr248 functional site either stabilize (SD29-12) or inhibit (SD29, SD29-14) auxin-induced phosphorylation, which changes lateral root formation. s11
  • Crops: in rice, OsRACK1B overexpression impairs fertility through NADPH-dependent H2O2 accumulation, and it delays salinity-induced leaf senescence by regulating chlorophyll degradation, including through an interaction with the STAY-GREEN protein. s16s18s41
  • Host-targeted antivirals: structure-based drug design against the RACK1A crystal structure produced compounds that bind recombinant RACK1A and inhibit HSV-1 proliferation in HEp-2 cells; a preprint reports the same compounds inhibiting HIV-1 and HCV IRES activity. s8s33
  • Coronavirus diagnostics: he proposes strand-specific tests that detect negative-sense RNA, made only during active replication, and prototyped a CRISPR-based lateral flow assay for replicating coronaviruses (preprints). s29s27
  • Coronavirus antivirals: a DNA oligonucleotide with 3′ polyAs, designed against the 5′-polyU tract of the antigenome, prevented cell death and infectious virion production in mouse coronavirus (MHV-A59) experiments (preprints). s31s30
  • Cancer: RACK1 Y246 phosphorylation inhibitors (SD29, SD29-14) inhibited migration and invasion of MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 breast-cancer cells, through a mechanism involving focal adhesion kinase (preprint). s32
  • Genome editing: he co-authored a 2015 review on CRISPR-mediated genome editing with Howard colleagues, and a 2025 paper on the RUBY reporter for teaching genome editing. s28s20
  • His interests also reach into other human-health and environmental questions: a co-authored Zika virus–host study led from Howard's College of Medicine, in silico analysis of myeloperoxidase missense mutations, and a 2007 study of PCB dechlorination in the presence of plant nitrate reductase. s7s15s43
Field & Who the Research Serves
  • Crop science: the salinity-senescence work is framed as useful for reducing salt's yield penalty on cereal crops such as rice under climate change. s18
  • Ag-biotech: the auxin-stimulating compound is described as having potential as a root-inducing bio-stimulant. s11
  • His lab page describes functional modulators, developed with Georgetown, of a plant protein that negatively regulates environmental stress resistance in crop plants. s22
  • Antiviral drug development: because RACK1 is needed for IRES-based translation in many viruses, the compounds are positioned as host-targeted, broad antiviral candidates. s8s33
  • Diagnostics and public health: tests that tell replicating from non-replicating virus are framed as a way to guide quarantine and treatment decisions for SARS-CoV-2 and other single-stranded RNA viruses. s29s27
  • Coronavirus therapeutics: the 5′-polyU strategy is framed as a basis for oligonucleotide drugs that could hold up as new coronavirus variants emerge, because the tract is conserved and essential. s30
  • Oncology: preprint data show the RACK1 inhibitors limit breast-cancer cell migration and invasion, and a patent application covers the compounds for cancers in which RACK1 positively regulates cell migration. s32s25
  • Science education and inclusion: his work includes the NSF-funded ART 21 outreach roadmap, an HBCU exhibit recognizing pioneering Black plant scientists, a RUBY genome-editing tool for teaching, and the Genomics Education Partnership's remote research-course study. s12s13s20s45
  • Undergraduate research: Ullah is a co-author on Howard SEA-PHAGES papers in which students isolated and sequenced mycobacteriophages from soil. s14s17s19
Funding, Collaborations & What's Available to Partners
  • His longest-running translational partnership is with Sivanesan Dakshanamurthy of Georgetown University: the RACK1 compounds, the HSV-1, HIV-1 and breast-cancer work, the Tyr248 auxin compounds and the jointly assigned patents. s8s11s32s33s22s25s26
  • At Howard he works with Qiyi Tang on viruses (Zika, HSV-1, mouse coronavirus) and with Sergei Nekhai on HIV-1; Saadyah Averick co-authored the coronavirus 5′-polyU work. s7s8s30s31s23s33s24
  • The CRISPR lateral-flow diagnostic was developed with Cameron Myhrvold's group in Princeton University's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. s27
  • Earlier collaborators include Alan Jones and Jin-Gui Chen at UNC Chapel Hill and David Armstrong's Membrane Signaling Group at NIEHS, whose members are also on the RACK1 structure deposit. s34s35s36s37s44s38s39
  • International collaborators at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México co-authored a review of plant RACK1 and an editorial on WD-repeat protein signaling in plants. s4s5
  • NIH funding acknowledged on his Howard-era papers includes NIMHD, NIAID SC1 AI112785, NCI P30 CA051008 and the NIH intramural program; the HIV-1 preprint also acknowledges the Department of Defense and the DC Center for AIDS Research. s1s7s8s11s14s15s17s32s33s40
  • National Science Foundation support is acknowledged on the rice RACK1B papers (MCB 0542312) and the 2021 Plant Gene paper (NSF 1036285). s16s18s40
  • HHMI supports the Howard SEA-PHAGES papers, co-authored with Alabama A&M University. s14s17s19
  • Justia lists patents granted to Ullah and Dakshanamurthy, jointly assigned to Howard and Georgetown, with grant dates from March 2023 to July 2026. s26
Publication & Impact Record
  • His most cited papers are from his PhD: the 2001 Science paper on G-protein regulation of guard-cell ion channels (513 citations), his first-author 2001 Science paper on G-protein control of cell proliferation (374), his 2003 Plant Cell paper (334) and his 2002 Plant Physiology paper (243), all per OpenAlex as of 29 Oct 2026. s34s35s37s36
  • From his NIEHS and Howard years, the 2008 RACK1 crystal structure in Protein Science (129 citations) and the 2006 PNAS thyroid-hormone signaling paper (123) are the most cited, per OpenAlex as of 29 Oct 2026. s1s38
  • Other well-cited Howard-era papers include the plant RACK1 review in Frontiers in Plant Science (59), the miR393 salt-stress paper (55) and the RACK1A interactome screen (47), per OpenAlex as of 29 Oct 2026. s4s9s3
  • A 2015 review he co-authored identifies the elucidation of the Arabidopsis RACK1A β-propeller structure as a significant advance for plant RACK1 research. s4
  • Ullah co-authored the editorial for a Frontiers in Plant Science collection on signaling through WD-repeat proteins in plants. s5
  • His coronavirus, HIV/HCV and breast-cancer results from 2021 to 2024 are preprints on bioRxiv and Preprints.org, not peer-reviewed journal articles. s27s29s30s31s32s33
  • Bangladeshi press (Prothom Alo) covered the antiviral work, quoting Howard's provost Anthony Wutoh. s24
  • He publishes across plant and biomedical science: Science, PNAS, The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology, Frontiers in Plant Science, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Oncotarget and Genes. s34s38s37s36s4s7s8s15
The receipts

Every claim, tethered to a real source

  1. s1Structure of a signal transduction regulator, RACK1, from Arabidopsis thaliana — Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society, 2008 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18715992/
  2. s2Arabidopsis scaffold protein RACK1A modulates rare sugar D-allose regulated gibberellin signaling — Plant signaling & behavior, 2012 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22951405/
  3. s3Arabidopsis scaffold protein RACK1A interacts with diverse environmental stress and photosynthesis related proteins — Plant signaling & behavior, 2013 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23435172/
  4. s4The Receptor for Activated C Kinase in Plant Signaling: Tale of a Promiscuous Little Molecule — Frontiers in plant science, 2015 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26697044/
  5. s5Editorial: Signaling through WD-Repeat Proteins in Plants — Frontiers in plant science, 2016 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27536312/
  6. s6Tyrosine Phosphorylation Based Homo-dimerization of Arabidopsis RACK1A Proteins Regulates Oxidative Stress Signaling Pathways in Yeast — Frontiers in plant science, 2016 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26941753/
  7. s7Zika virus increases mind bomb 1 levels, causing degradation of pericentriolar material 1 (PCM1) and dispersion of PCM1-containing granules from the centrosome — The Journal of biological chemistry, 2019 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31666336/
  8. s8Host targeted antiviral (HTA): functional inhibitor compounds of scaffold protein RACK1 inhibit herpes simplex virus proliferation — Oncotarget, 2019 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31143369/
  9. s9miR393s regulate salt stress response pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana through scaffold protein RACK1A mediated ABA signaling pathways — Plant signaling & behavior, 2019 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31021701/
  10. s10Mass Spectrometry-Based Identification of Phospho-Tyr in Plant Proteomics — Journal of proteome research, 2020 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31967836/
  11. s11Small compounds targeting tyrosine phosphorylation of Scaffold Protein Receptor for Activated C Kinase1A (RACK1A) regulate auxin mediated lateral root development in Arabidopsis — Plant signaling & behavior, 2021 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33784940/
  12. s12Broadening the impact of plant science through innovative, integrative, and inclusive outreach — Plant direct, 2021 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33870032/
  13. s13Recognizing pioneering Black plant scientists in our schools and society — Trends in plant science, 2021 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34507887/
  14. s14Complete Genome Sequences of Mycobacteriophages Dallas and Jonghyun — Microbiology resource announcements, 2021 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34236221/
  15. s15Prediction of the Effects of Missense Mutations on Human Myeloperoxidase Protein Stability Using In Silico Saturation Mutagenesis — Genes, 2022 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36011324/
  16. s16Receptor for Activated C Kinase1B (OsRACK1B) Impairs Fertility in Rice through NADPH-Dependent H2O2 Signaling Pathway — International journal of molecular sciences, 2022 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35955593/
  17. s17Complete Genome Sequences of Mycobacteriophages SynergyX, Abinghost, Bananafish, and Delton — Microbiology resource announcements, 2022 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35863046/
  18. s18Receptor for Activated C Kinase1B (RACK1B) Delays Salinity-Induced Senescence in Rice Leaves by Regulating Chlorophyll Degradation — Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 2023 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37376011/
  19. s19Complete Genome Sequences of Subcluster C1 Mycobacteriophages Blackbrain, Cactojaque, Kboogie, Trinitium, and YoungMoneyMata — Microbiology resource announcements, 2023 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37255446/
  20. s20Seeing is believing: Genome editing made easy with RUBY for educational purposes — Plant physiology, 2025 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40696509/
  21. s21Howard University Faculty Profile - Hemayet Ullah — https://profiles.howard.edu/hemayet-ullah
  22. s22Ullah Laboratory - Howard University Department of Biology — https://biology.howard.edu/research/laboratories/ullah-laboratory
  23. s23DC CFAR Profile - Hemayet Ullah — https://dccfar.gwu.edu/hemayet-ullah-phd
  24. s24Bangladeshi scientist finds cure to dangerous viruses - Prothom Alo — https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/Bangladeshi-scientist-finds-cure-to-dangerous
  25. s25Patent US20220168277A1: Drug inhibitor against migration and invasion of cancer cells - Google Patents — https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220168277A1/en
  26. s26Patents by Hemayet Ullah - Justia Patents — https://patents.justia.com/inventor/hemayet-ullah
  27. s27Rapid Detection of Active Coronavirus Infection by Lateral Flow Test Strips: A New Approach to Distinguish Replicating Viruses from Non-Replicating Viruses — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2024 — https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.18.604218
  28. s28Welcome to the Brave New World: CRISPR Mediated Genome Editing?pathway to Designer Babies? — Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology, 2015 — https://doi.org/10.3329/ptcb.v25i1.24132
  29. s29A New Approach for Active Coronavirus Infection Identification by Targeting the Negative RNA Strand- A Replacement for the Current Positive RNA-based qPCR Detection Method — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2023 — https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.22.525117
  30. s30Crippled Coronavirus: 5’-PolyU targeted Oligo prevents development of infectious Virions — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2022 — https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.04.483076
  31. s31The Achilles’ heel of coronaviruses: targeting the 5’ Polyuridines tract of the antigenome to inhibit Mouse coronavirus-induced cell death — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2021 — https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.26.453908
  32. s32Scaffold Protein RACK1 inhibitor compounds prevent the Focal Adhesion Kinase mediated breast cancer cell migration and invasion potential — bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), 2021 — https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.13.448244
  33. s33Host-Targeted Antivirals Inhibit RACK1-mediated IRES Activities in HIV-1 Infection — Preprints.org, 2021 — https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202104.0692.v1
  34. s34G Protein Regulation of Ion Channels and Abscisic Acid Signaling in Arabidopsis Guard Cells — Science, 2001 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11408655/
  35. s35Modulation of Cell Proliferation by Heterotrimeric G Protein in Arabidopsis — Science, 2001 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11408654/
  36. s36Role of a Heterotrimeric G Protein in Regulation of Arabidopsis Seed Germination — PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 2002 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12068128/
  37. s37The β-Subunit of the Arabidopsis G Protein Negatively Regulates Auxin-Induced Cell Division and Affects Multiple Developmental Processes[W] — The Plant Cell, 2003 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12566580/
  38. s38Rapid signaling at the plasma membrane by a nuclear receptor for thyroid hormone — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16549781/
  39. s39Maltose Binding Protein fusion with RACK1 from A. thaliana — Worldwide Protein Data Bank, 2008 — https://doi.org/10.2210/pdb3dm0/pdb
  40. s40Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) mediated signaling pathway shows hypersensitivity to oxidative stress — Plant Gene, 2021 — https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2021.100299
  41. s41Rice (Oryza sativa) Receptor for Activated C Kinase1B (OsRACK1B) Regulates Chlorophyll Catabolism and NADPH oxidase‐dependent H 2 O 2 Signaling Pathways during Salinity Stress — The FASEB Journal, 2020 — https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.06651
  42. s42Genetic Imprinting: Comparative Analysis Between Plants and Mammals — Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology, 2016 — https://doi.org/10.3329/ptcb.v26i2.30576
  43. s43Dechlorination of PCB in the presence of plant nitrate reductase — Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2007 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21783850/
  44. s44Dual Pathways for Auxin Regulation of Cell Division and Expansion — Biotechnology in agriculture and forestry, 2004 — https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10572-6_13
  45. s45Supporting the democratization of science during a pandemic: genomics Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) as an effective remote learning strategy — Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, 2023 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38230306/
  46. s46Patent WO2004/003146A2: Method for improving plant traits by altering the activity of plant G-protein alpha and beta subunits — https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2004003146A2/en
  47. s47IPScaffold analysis of patent WO2004/003146A2
  48. s48Patent US20150119250A1: Methods for modulating plant response to environmentally-induced stress — https://patents.google.com/patent/US20150119250A1/en
  49. s49IPScaffold analysis of patent US20150119250A1
  50. s50Patent US20180360043A1: Methods for modulating plant response to environmentally-induced stress — https://patents.google.com/patent/US20180360043A1/en
  51. s51IPScaffold analysis of patent US20180360043A1
  52. s52Patent US11576901B2: Methods for treating viral infection — https://patents.google.com/patent/US11576901B2/en
  53. s53IPScaffold analysis of patent US11576901B2
  54. s54Patent US11596623B2: Methods for treating virus infection or proliferation — https://patents.google.com/patent/US11596623B2/en
  55. s55IPScaffold analysis of patent US11596623B2
  56. s56Patent US12678425B2: Methods for treating against viruses — https://patents.google.com/patent/US12678425B2/en
  57. s57IPScaffold analysis of patent US12678425B2
  58. s58Patent US20220168277A1: Drug inhibitor against migration and invasion of cancer cells and methods of treating against metastasis of cancer cells — https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220168277A1/en
  59. s59IPScaffold analysis of patent US20220168277A1
  60. s60Patent US20230183703A1: Compositions and methods for treating and detecting coronavirus infection — https://patents.google.com/patent/US20230183703A1/en
  61. s61IPScaffold analysis of patent US20230183703A1
  62. s62Patent US20260209766A1: Crippled coronavirus: 5'-polyU targeted oligo prevents development of infectious virions — https://patents.google.com/patent/US20260209766A1/en
  63. s63IPScaffold analysis of patent US20260209766A1
  64. s64Patent WO2025226671A1: Rapid detection of active replicating coronavirus infection by lateral flow — https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2025226671A1/en
  65. s65IPScaffold analysis of patent WO2025226671A1