Sarafan ChEM-H awards 12 seed grants for new collaborations with the Nucleus
The Nucleus at Sarafan ChEM-H is a collection of specialized laboratories designed to supercharge basic and translational research at Stanford by providing instrumentation and expertise that is often not found within individual academic laboratories. These laboratories offer services in areas like metabolomics, protein engineering, medicinal chemistry, cryo-electron microscopy, and X-ray crystallography, with hands-on opportunities for researchers to collaborate directly with the expert scientific directors who lead each Nucleus group.
This year, five teams of researchers were awarded $50,000 grants to explore a variety of research topics aimed at improving human health at the molecular level, from developing new technologies to target neurodegenerative diseases to finding innovative ways to drug cancer. In addition, seven teams were awarded pilot funds ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to support new collaborations with Nucleus groups.
Now in its second year, the Nucleus seed grant program added two new specialties this year: Chemoproteomics and Cell and Gene Therapies. The Chemoproteomics group can assist researchers with characterizing proteins and their molecular interactions via high-resolution mass spectrometry, including analysis of post-translational modifications, global protein profiling, and characterizing protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions. The Cell and Gene Therapies group, which is also part of the Innovative Medicines Accelerator, harnesses cutting-edge gene editing technologies and expertise in immune cell therapies and delivery vector design to help researchers develop modern molecular therapies for diseases with unmet medical needs.
As part of the seed grant award, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars will have a chance to work closely with the scientific directors who lead each Nucleus group to move their projects forward. Nucleus group leaders come from varied backgrounds in academia and industry, with over a century of combined research experience, and will provide these students and scholars hands-on training with advanced instrumentation, as well as help with experimental design and data analysis, to help grow the next generation of scientific leaders.
The recipients of the seed grants are listed below.
$50,000 awards:
Mapping cytokine signaling requirements for in vivo AAV-engineered T cells
Anusha Kalbasi, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
Trainee: Dr. Segi Kim, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with: Dr. Fabrizia Urbinati, Director of Cell and Gene Therapies
Cell-based immunotherapy is a promising treatment for cancer, but current approaches require cells to be removed from patients, genetically modified in specialized laboratories, and then returned to patients—a costly and complex process. Emerging technologies allow scientists to instead engineer these immune cells directly inside the body, which could make these therapies far more accessible. In collaboration with the Cell and Gene Therapies group at the Nucleus, the Kalbasi lab will develop tools to identify the key signals that allow cells engineered directly inside the body to attack cancer effectively, paving the way for the next generation of cancer cell therapies.
Engineering AAV-CRISPR-TO as a Spatial RNA Therapeutic for ALS
Stanley Qi, Associate Professor of Bioengineering
Trainees: Maylin Fu and Yinglin Situ, Graduate Students
Collaboration with: Dr. Fabrizia Urbinati, Director of Cell and Gene Therapies
Neurodegenerative diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are characterized by the mislocalization of proteins and their molecular blueprints within brain cells. When these molecules are in the wrong place, neurons lose their ability to function correctly. Building off their newly developed technology that returns these molecules to their proper cellular locations, the Qi lab will collaborate with the Cell and Gene Therapies group at the Nucleus to build a delivery vehicle that will hopefully transport these tools into the central nervous system for targeted rescue of dying neurons in disease like ALS.
Identifying metabolic vulnerabilities in non-small cell lung cancer
Kacper Rogala, Assistant Professor of Structural Biology
Trainee: Steven Truong, Graduate Student
Collaboration with: Dr. Yuqin Dai, Director of Metabolomics
The Rogala lab has recently discovered a new molecular pathway that seems to be critical to cancer cell survival in non-small cell lung cancer. By characterizing the metabolic fingerprints of these cancer cells in collaboration with the Metabolomics group at the Nucleus, they hope to identify new vulnerabilities that could lead to more effective, targeted therapies for patients.
Molecular Dissection of Postsynaptic Density via Endogenous Protein Targeting
Li Wang, Assistant Professor of Biology
Trainee: Dr. Ian Jones, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with: Dr. Adrian Hugenmatter, Director of Protein Engineering
The hubs where neurons communicate, called synapses, are remarkably dynamic and diverse. Their protein compositions change during development and across different neuronal circuits, shaping everything from learning and behavior to brain diseases, yet these complex molecular assemblies remain challenging to study in their native environments. With the help of the Protein Engineering group at the Nucleus, the Wang lab will develop new tools to enable dynamic mapping of synaptic diversity.
Phosphoproteomics to uncover the cellular mechanisms of disease-associated oligodendrocyte induction
Brad Zuchero, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
Trainee: Cal Bridges, Graduate Student
Collaboration with: Dr. Dina Schuster, Assistant Director of Chemoproteomics
Healthy neuronal axons are coated by a protective, insulating sheath that allows for efficient electrical signaling in the brain. This coating, called myelin, degenerates in diseases like multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s. By studying the specialized cells that make myelin and how they change during disease, the Zuchero lab will work with the Chemoproteomics group at the Nucleus to map the cellular signaling pathways involved in these pathological transformations, with the goal of finding new therapeutic targets to treat neurodegeneration.
Nucleus Pilot Funds ($5,000–$25,000):
Michael Angelo, Associate Professor of Pathology
Trainee: Dr. Andreas Lackner, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with: Dr. Mark Smith, Director of Medicinal Chemistry
Dan Azagury, Associate Professor of Surgery
Trainee: Marisa Markovich, Graduate Student
Collaboration with: Dr. Mark Smith, Director of Medicinal Chemistry
Agnieszka Czechowicz, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Trainee: Dr. Shan Huang, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with Dr. Daniel Fernandez, Director of Macromolecular Structure
Laura Dassama, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Trainee: Dr. Olivia Shade, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with: Dr. Dina Schuster, Assistant Director of Chemoproteomics
Liang Feng, Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Trainee: Aswini Krishnan, Graduate Student
Collaboration with: Dr. Yuqin Dai, Director of Metabolomics
Nathanael Gray, Krishnan-Shah Family Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology
Trainee: Dr. Ines Forrest, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with: Dr. Dina Schuster, Assistant Director of Chemoproteomics
Emma Lundberg, Associate Professor of Bioengineering, and Wah Chiu, Wallenberg-Bienenstock Professor of Bioengineering
Trainee: Dr. Alissa Hummer, Postdoctoral Scholar
Collaboration with: Dr. Haoqing Wang, Assistant Director of Cryo-Electron Microscopy
