Chemical Biology Program Research
We combine chemical biology, structural and mechanistic insights, proteomics, protein engineering, and design to tackle tough problems at the forefront of cancer research.
Our Mission
To use the power of chemical biology and mechanistic understanding of biological processes to transform the way we study and target disease, especially cancer
Featured Studies
Rapid Clearance of Achiral Small-Molecule Drugs Using De Novo-Designed Proteins and Their Cyclic and Mirror-Image Variants
Researcher: Nicholas Polizzi, PhD | Polizzi Lab
In a recent study, Polizzi and collaborators designed proteins that bind to an anticoagulant drug apixaban and an anticancer drug rucaparib. In both cases, these designer proteins cleared the drugs from circulation within 30 min. These results demonstrate that de novo-designed small-molecule-binding proteins can be used as antidotes in vivo.
Dual CARM1-and IKZF3-Targeting: A Novel Approach to Multiple Myeloma Therapy Synergy between CARM1 Inhibition and IMiDs
Researcher: Sara Buhrlage, PhD | Buhrlage Lab
CARM1, a protein arginine methyltransferase, is an emerging target for treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Buhrlage and her team contributed to a study that showed how targeting CARM1 potentiates the activity of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), a class of drug approved for MM treatment. Additionally, the team designed a new CARM1 inhibitor that overrides IMiD resistance, highlighting the effectiveness of the approach.
Targeting Transcription Factors through an IMiD Independent Zinc Finger Domain
Researchers: Haribabu Arthanari, PhD | Arthanari Lab and Jun Qi, PhD | Qi Lab
In this large collaborative study, scientists developed a new compound that targets SALL4, a transcription factor associated with cancer. The compound, called SH6, selectively targets SALL4-expressing cancer cells, and causes their death by inducing SALL4 degradation. Furthermore, SH6 treatment led to a significant growth inhibition of tumors that express SALL4, and demonstrated good pharmacological properties, suggesting that additional optimization of SH6 may lead to new therapy.
Explore More of Our Research Interests
Paving the Way with Chemical Biology
Take a look inside the growing Chemical Biology Program at Dana-Farber, where chemists and biologists work side by side to find answers to some of the most challenging problems in targeted cancer therapies.
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.
Targeted Protein Degradation
Listen to Eric Fischer, Ph.D. explain targeted protein degradation, its history, and its promising future.
Research Spotlight
E3 ubiquitin ligases are a large family of enzymes that have a very important job – they bind to proteins that need to be disposed of and make sure that they are marked for degradation. How E3 ubiquitin ligases recognize their substrates and place the degradation mark (i.e., a small protein ubiquitin) on them remains something that many groups around the globe study. Dr. Eric Fischer, PhD, and his colleagues now describe results of their efforts to visualize Tom1, a HECT ubiquitin E3 ligases from budding yeast, as it works to ubiquinate their substrate.
