Chemistry alumnus Brendyn Smith delivers lecture on Gilead Sciences

Mar 10, 2026 |

The College of Natural Science's Department of Chemistry welcomed alumnus Brendyn Smith to present a seminar on March 4th, 2026, highlighting the research at Gilead Sciences in California.

Brendyn Smith as a graduate student at Scripps.

His seminar highlighted Lenacapavir, a First-in-Class Long-Acting HIV Capsid Inhibitor. Lenacapavir is an HIV capsid inhibitor that enables long-acting HIV treatment and prevention, including twice-yearly subcutaneous dosing. The seminar outlined the medicinal chemistry campaign to optimize drug potency, metabolic stability, and other key properties.

Brendyn graduated from MSU (2019) with a major in Biochemistry. During his undergraduate tenure at MSU, he excelled in biochemical principles and was intrigued by the interactions between substrates and their biomolecular targets. He later learned about the efficacy of interactions between non-natural small-molecule pharmaceuticals and druggable bio-targets, which piqued Brendyn's interest in medicinal chemistry.

It did not take Brendyn long to recognize his knowledge gap in synthetic chemistry, which he had self-identified as a prerequisite to designing medicinals. To bridge this gap, he enrolled in organic chemistry courses for chemistry majors and chemical engineers. He sought undergraduate research opportunities in the labs of Chemistry Department mentors, Dr. Walker (2015-16) and Dr. Wulff (2016-17), to synthesize compounds known to target druggable targets. He also enrolled in graduate-level courses in organic synthesis and organic physical chemistry.

From Left to Right: Prof. Walker, MSU CNS Alum: Dr. Brendyn Smith, Prof. Wulff, MSU Undergraduate Austin Malburg, Former Chemistry Chair, Prof. Maleczka.

He tutored undergraduate Organic Chemistry at no charge to increase participation, which motivated his mastery of the discipline. His proactive approach to merging the gap between chemistry and biochemistry brought recognition through several awards at MSU, including a CNS Undergraduate Research Prize (2017), UURAF First Place Poster Presentation (2017), William R. Yates Memorial Chemistry Scholarship (May 2017), CNS Dean’s Research Scholar (Oct 2017), Dr. James K. Billman Undergraduate Research Award, BMB (Nov 2017), and a Goldwater Scholarship Finalist (Mar 2018).

After graduating from MSU, Brendyn became immersed in synthetic organic chemistry, working as a graduate student at Scripps Research Institute with world-renowned synthetic chemist Phil S. Baran. Shortly after receiving his PhD (2024, Unlocking the Total Synthesis of Dragocins A–C: Adventures With Unusual Marine Hybrid Metabolites), he began his career as a Senior Chemistat Gilead, where he is currently employed.

Before his return visit to MSU, Brendyn expressed a strong desire to contribute resources through the MSU development office and to recruit MSU CNS undergraduates for summer internships at Gilead. These gestures are his way of giving back to the MSU Chemistry and BMB programs that provided the foundation for his success as a medicinal chemist, synthesizing molecules that could potentially change lives.