Calendar

Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series

(Drug ACTION Specific Seminar)

• Xiaodong Wang, PhD
• UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Targeting TAM Kinases to Combat Cancer

TAM family of receptor tyrosine kinases consists of three members: TYRO3, AXL, MERTK. Their multifunctional roles in both tumor cells and the immune system make TAM kinases attractive therapeutic targets, offering the potential for dual benefits—direct tumor cell inhibition and immune-mediated anti-tumor activity. Through a structure-based drug design strategy, we have developed novel small molecule inhibitors and degraders that exhibit unique selectivity profiles across the TAM family. In this talk, I will highlight our lead optimization strategy and present in vivo efficacy data for our lead compounds in different disease models.
Hosted by Weiping Tang

Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series

(Drug DISCOVERY Specific Seminar)

• Xiaoyu Zhang, PhD
• Northwestern University

Targeted Protein Control: From Mechanistic Insights to Therapeutic Strategies

My research group uses small molecules to study biological processes, with the goal of controlling protein function for therapeutic applications. A major focus is targeted protein degradation, where we build platforms to discover E3 ligases and show that both cancer-overexpressed and mutant ligases can be harnessed for selective protein removal. In parallel, we uncover chemical principles in immunology by demonstrating that reactive residues on MHC-I peptide antigens can be targeted to modulate immune responses. We also investigate hapten-modified peptides, uncovering their role in allergy and harnessing this mechanism for immunotherapy. Together, these efforts reveal how chemistry shapes biology and point toward new ways of developing therapeutics.

About the Speaker:
Xiaoyu Zhang obtained his BS and MS degrees from Zhejiang University. He completed his PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University, where he studied with Prof. Hening Lin. As a Damon Runyon Fellow, he conducted postdoctoral research with Prof. Ben Cravatt at The Scripps Research Institute. In 2022, Xiaoyu started his independent career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University. His research group employs chemical biology approaches to expand the druggable proteome of human cells and develop chemical probes for protein targets that remain therapeutically inaccessible. Xiaoyu has received awards including the Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Award, the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award, the NIH Pathway to Independence Award, and the NIH Maximizing Investigators' Research Award.

Hosted by Weiping Tang

Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series

(Drug DELIVERY Specific Seminar)

• Tory Spindle, PhD
• John Hopkins University School of Medicine

Presentation Title:
Evaluating the Acute Impairing Effects and Pharmacokinetics of Cannabis. The Impact of Route of Administration, Product Formulation, and Co-use with Alcohol.

Hosted by Heather Barkholtz