Professor Michael Erb (Scripps Research Institute)

Title: Chemical rewiring of chromatin-regulated processes by proximity pharmacology

Abstract: Proximity pharmacology enables biochemical events to be rewired with temporal precision, offering privileged insights into cell biology that are difficult to access with traditional genetic approaches or conventional small-molecule drugs. To uncover chemical inducers of proximity that rewire chromatin-regulated processes through unexpected mechanisms of action, we combine innovative discovery chemistry approaches (e.g. SuFEx-based high-throughput chemical synthesis) with bespoke cell-based screening assays, forward genetic screens, and integrative transcriptional genomics. These efforts have enabled us to broaden the scope of ligandable proteins to “undruggable” transcription factors, to harness previously unrecognized effectors for neomorphic pharmacological outcomes, and to inhibit DNA repair pathways by rewiring chromatin biology. Collectively, these studies define a blueprint for expanding proximity pharmacology into previously inaccessible biological space.

Biography: Michael Erb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute. He graduated with a BA in biochemistry from Claremont McKenna College in 2014, received his PhD from Harvard University under the mentorship of Jay Bradner in 2017, and then began his independent career as one of the inaugural Scripps Fellows. His laboratory develops chemical tools to modulate tumorigenic gene regulatory programs, leveraging multidisciplinary expertise in high-throughput chemical synthesis, proximity pharmacology, forward genetics, and transcriptional genomics to address challenging targets like DNA-binding transcription factors. Dr. Erb is the recipient of an NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (2018) and an Ono Pharma Foundation Breakthrough Science Initiative Award (2020).