WEHI Structural Biology Special Seminar hosted by Professor Peter Czabotar

Jawahar Sudhamsu, PhD

Director and Distinguished Scientist, Structural Biology Joint Appointment (Discovery Oncology), Genentech, Inc. USA

Molecular Mechanisms of signaling in the RAS pathway: Structural & Biochemical insights

Davis Auditorium

Join via TEAMS

Including Q&A session

Dr Sudhamsu leads a team using structural biology (X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM) and protein biochemistry to study macromolecular interactions in human disease, supporting drug discovery of small and large molecule therapeutics at Genentech. His lab performs basic research to better understand molecular mechanisms of cancer signaling, with a focus on the RAS signaling pathway, and how cancer cells exploit this tightly regulated signaling cascade. Understanding these molecular mechanisms of signaling in healthy and cancerous cells could potentially help design more effective therapies for patients. His lab also improves experimental processes and develops technologies to accelerate research and drug discovery.

Relevant Publications:

•       Structural basis for SHOC2 modulation of RAS signalling. Nature 2022

•       Negative regulation of RAF kinase activity by ATP is overcome by 14-3-3 induced dimerization. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 2020

•       Structure of the BRAF-MEK complex reveals a kinase activity independent role for BRAF in MAPK signaling. Cancer Cell 2014

Dr Sudhamsu will discuss structural and mechanistic insights into RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling, including some unpublished work on how the kinase ERK could be an integral component of the Ras-RAF signalosome.

All welcome!