Chemical Biology Program

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If you are interested in collaborating with our Chemical Biology Program investigators or in learning more about our research, please email our Program Director, Milka Kostic, PhD, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Chemical biology is one of the most rapidly growing fields of investigation in the cancer field and beyond.

At Dana-Farber's Chemical Biology Program, we perform basic research in cancer chemical biology and develop new chemical probes and therapeutic strategies based on structural and mechanistic insights. One of our goals is to go after difficult drug targets through innovative chemistry. We find inspiration in both unanswered biological questions and unmet clinical needs.

The Chemical Biology Program is internationally recognized as a center of excellence in the field. Our chemical biology investigators have made important contributions to advancing targeted cancer therapy, and some of the compounds developed in the program are now benefiting patients. What makes our program an exceptional place to do science are extraordinary and energetic graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, staff scientists, and technicians, who work relentlessly to provide chemistry-inspired solutions targeting cancer, as well as infectious, neurodegenerative, and autoimmune diseases.

Our faculty members hold academic appointments at Dana-Farber's Department of Cancer Biology and Department of Pediatric Oncology, as well as at Harvard Medical School. Our trainees come from a range of Harvard Medical School graduate programs, as well as Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Learn more about our mission and emphasis

Learn about career opportunities in the Chemical Biology Program

Learn about postdoctoral training opportunities in our Program

We perform research in chemical biology, informed by structural and mechanistic insights.

We collaborate with basic cancer research groups, clinical colleagues, and external partners.

We are an intellectual center for small molecule discovery and development.

We are training the next generation of innovative and collaborative chemical biologists.

Our Research Focus

Featured Videos: Our Researchers Describe Their Work

Chemical Biology - Small Molecules Making a Big Impact

A look inside the growing Chemical Biology program at Dana-Farber: Program Director Milka Kostic, PhD, takes you into the labs where chemists and biologists work side-by-side, making and testing small molecules. They're seeking out what might be driving a cancer tumor, and the hope is that these molecules might someday be powerful cancer-fighting drugs.

Drug Discovery: Loren Walensky, MD, PhD

Loren Walensky, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber's Department of Pediatric Oncology and the Chemical Biology Program, speaks about the collaborative drug discovery happening in the Longwood Center at Dana-Farber.

Medicinal Chemist Making New Drugs

Sara Buhrlage, PhD, of Dana-Farber's Department of Cancer Biology and the Chemical Biology Program, explains the collaborative process of creating first-in-class drugs at Dana-Farber.