My research interests are in the field of drug discovery and development. I am also interested in developing chemical tools to probe biological systems and identify potential drug targets. We are currently working on devising small molecules that can induce targeted protein degradation in cancer cells using a cell’s natural protein degradation machinery. One particular project focuses on developing molecules that can activate programmed cell death in cancer cells through targeted degradation of pro-survival protein Bcl-xL.

The opportunity to work with many talented people and learn something new every day and the possibility that our discovery may one day change someone’s life. The field is evolving at a rapid pace. Many cool ideas and technologies have emerged in the last several years. I anticipate a number of innovative drugs that are developed by nontraditional approaches will be approved by the FDA in the near future.

Our team is motivated to make a significant impact on improving cancer therapy. I know that developing a drug is a very big goal and involves thousands of people from many scientific disciplines, but we hope a molecule created in the lab will be effective and safe in treating cancer patients.