Chemistry Seminar Presented by Dr. Gregory Craven

December 2, 2024
11:45 am to 12:45 pm

Event sponsored by:

Chemistry

Contact:

Department of Chemistry

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Researcher stands in red shirt in outdoor setting

Speaker:

Dr. Gregory Craven, University of California San Francisco
The Department of Chemistry is pleased to host Dr. Gregory Craven for a seminar on Monday, December 2. Title: "Mutant-selective AKT1 inhibition via lysine targeting and neo-zinc chelation" Abstract: Mutations in the kinase AKT1, especially the E17K mutation, drive oncogenic signaling in many solid tumors. In clinical studies, pan-AKT inhibitors cause dose-limiting hyperglycemia, motivating the search for mutant-selective inhibitors. To address this, I exploited the E17K mutation to design allosteric, lysine-targeted salicylaldehyde inhibitors with selectivity for AKT1(E17K) over wild type AKT paralogs, a major challenge given the presence of three conserved lysines near the allosteric site. Structural studies revealed an unexpected mode of covalent inhibition involving neo-zinc coordination, which drives exceptional selectivity and residence-time in cellular models and tumor xenografts. This approach opens a pathway for the selective targeting of other oncogenic lysine mutations in cancer and motivates the search for new pharmacological opportunities by exploiting ligand-induced metal chelation. Host: Chemistry Department Chemical Biology Series

Chemistry Seminar Series