Alyssa Carter

Department of Microbiology and Immunology | Bogyo Lab

The Bogyo Lab is interested in using chemical probes to identify important enzymatic targets in pathogenic processes. We recently synthesized a group of oxadiazolone-based probes that inhibit growth of C. difficile, the number one cause of antibiotic-associated diarrheal disease. Chemoproteomic analysis with the covalent oxadiazolone-probe reveals that -ketoacyl-ACP synthase III (FabH), the enzyme that catalyzes the first step in the bacterial fatty acid synthesis pathway, is enriched by these probes. I am using these probes to characterize the role of FabH in C. difficile growth, sporulation, and germination. These studies will also guide the development of novel inhibitors that may interrupt the cycle of C. difficile infection recurrence that plagues the healthcare system.

Caroline Scheuing

Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology | Pleiner Lab

My Ph.D. project aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of membrane protein complex assembly and quality control at the human ER membrane. I will use interdisciplinary approaches, ranging from genetics to in vitro biochemistry, to 1) uncover novel ER assembly and quality control factors that control ion channel cell surface expression and 2) characterize their mechanism of action. Factors identified through this research will present new therapeutic targets for manipulating ion channel expression levels in various cardiac and neurological disorders.

Georgia Grace Tully

Department of Chemistry | Das Lab

In the Das Lab I am currently working on using new data processing algorithms to analyze single particle cryo-EM datasets of RNA targets. I plan to apply a combination of high-throughput chemical mapping experiments and cryo-EM single particle analysis to RNAs treated with small molecule binding compounds. This structural data will allow me to build a deep learning model that, given a pathogenic RNA target sequence, can predict small molecule candidate binders. This model will rapidly reduce the time for hit identification in the drug discovery process.

Leyna Duong

Department of Chemical and Systems Biology | Gray Lab

In the Gray Lab, we develop chemical probes to gain new biological insights into cellular processes that drive diseases and to validate potential clinically relevant targets pharmacologically. We integrate approaches from medicinal chemistry, structural biology, and molecular and cell biology. My main project focuses on studying a protein's enzymatic mechanism and structure using small molecule inhibitors, x-ray crystallography, and biochemical assays to understand its role in immuno-oncology. My other projects involve molecular glue library target exploration and targetting protein condensates as a way to activate useful pathways.

Remi Dado

Department of Chemistry | Dionne Lab

My research interests center on the application of spintronic and magneto-optical platforms for enantioselective synthesis. Given the frequent disparity in safety and efficacy between enantiomers, considerable commercial and academic resources are dedicated to asymmetric synthesis or racemic separation techniques. The associated cost and difficulty of these methods result in decreased availability and high prices for enantiomerically pure pharmaceuticals and biomolecules. To this end, spin-polarized electrons have emerged as potentially powerful symmetry-breaking agents in radical-mediated electrochemical and photochemical reactions. However, the broad application of electron spin as a chiral reagent is currently limited by insufficient spin polarization and injection. My work focuses on biasing radical-mediated photochemical reactions by developing dielectric metasurface platforms capable of enhancing spintronic and light-matter interactions for increased spin polarization, injection, and coherence.

Riley Togashi

Department of Chemistry | Chen/Gray Lab

With the Chen Lab, I am developing small molecules that target homeodomain interacting protein kinase 4 (HIPK4) through either allosteric inhibition or PROTAC-based degradation. We previously demonstrated that HIPK4-deficient male mice are infertile but otherwise developmentally and physiologically normal and uncovered a role for HIPK4 in spermatid differentiation. HIPK4-targeting compounds would be useful probes for studying HIPK4 functions in spermiogenesis and candidates for non-hormonal male contraceptives. I am also working on identifying HIPK4 substrates and binding proteins to elucidate the mechanisms through which HIPK4 promotes sperm development.

Ryan Golden

Department of Chemistry | Gray Lab

In the Gray Lab, I am synthesizing heterobifunctional small molecules such as PROTACs (Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras) and TCIPs (Transcriptional Chemical Inducers of Proximity), which could lead to proximity-based therapeutics for cancer. I have made progress exploring how to use molecular proximity to reprogram the fusion oncoprotein EWS-FLI in Ewings Sarcoma, which I have been pursuing in collaboration with Kimberly Stegmaier’s laboratory at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am also initiating a new project targeting the retinoid acid receptor with chemically induced proximity.

Siavash Moghadami

Department of Chemical and Systems Biology | Tan/Bertozzi Lab

The overarching theme of my research is harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in biology, particularly within the field of chemical biology. I am developing in vivo, spatially-resolved techniques to perturb neuropsychiatric risk genes and glycan-related genes within living organisms. By precisely targeting these genes in specific neural regions, I can observe the direct effects on neuronal function and behavior. Building upon these findings, I aim to develop the world's first AI-powered Artificial Cell (AIAC) to study neural systems by simulating and analyzing these perturbations at molecular, cellular, and system levels. This innovative approach is designed to provide deeper insights into complex neural processes. Through this multidisciplinary strategy, I seek to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying brain processes as well as neuropsychiatric disorders, potentially leading to the development of novel therapeutic interventions.