Previous Webinar

Natarajan Kannan is Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Institute of Bioinformatics in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia. His inter-disciplinary research group uses concepts and techniques from diverse disciplines including biophysics, biochemistry, and bioinformatics to understand the function and evolution of large gene families such as protein kinases. Prof.

Stefan Knapp is Professor of Chemical Biology at the Goethe University Frankfurt and site head of the Frankfurt node of the “Structure Genomics Consortium”. Stefan’s laboratory is interested in the development and rational design of selective inhibitors targeting key signaling molecules (chemical probes) and their use for the validation of new targets. The research team focusses two main key areas: (1) Targeting protein interactions module that mediate the recognitions of key posttranslational modifications and (2) Targeting protein kinases. His lab is particularly interested in developing inhibitors targeting unusual binding modes and novel allosteric binding sites. 

Patrick Eyers is Professor of Cell Signaling and Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Systems Biology, in the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology at the University of Liverpool. His multidisciplinary research lab focusses on cell signaling, protein phosphorylation, sulfation and chemical biology especially of Tribbles (TRIB) pseudokinases.

Ben Major is Principal Investigator and Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, Professor of Otolaryngology, Alan A and Edith L Wolff Distinguished Professor in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University in Saint Louis. His group is focusing on integrating functional screens, proteomics, and genomics to better understand Cancer. An ongoing study illuminates the understudied kinome, a set of kinases which remain relatively uncharacterized.

James Murphy is Associate Professor and the head of the Inflammation Division at the WEHI (formerly known as The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) in Melbourne and is closely associated with The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital. James’ lab studies the protein-protein interactions that underpin signal transduction. Much of his work is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms by which protein kinases and their relatives, pseudokinases, regulate cell signaling.

Michael Lazarus is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacological Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. His lab is interested in using structural and chemical biology to understand metabolic pathways like autophagy, a conserved process whereby cellular components are degraded for energy, building blocks, and quality control. The group is looking at how cells respond to nutrient changes and how these mechanisms can be exploited in human diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes to inborn errors of metabolism. Their goal is to better understand these key enzymes through crystallography and to develop chemical probes to help study their function.