Bi-weekly: Thursdays, 12 pm EDT/EST, 9 am PT/PST, 5 pm BST/BDT, 6 pm CEST/CET
https://dfci.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m7JJaw52T8yZYt8-ykL6UQ
Some seminars were recorded and accessible for a limited time on our youtube channel.
Upcoming Speakers
July 9th, 2026
Host: Mikolaj Slabicki
Steven Banik
Stanford University
Detecting and Rewiring Cellular Interactomes
Steven Banik is an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at Stanford University and an Institute Scholar at the Sarafan ChEM-H Institute. Steven earned a BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University working with Professor Eric Jacobsen. He conducted postdoctoral research with Professor Carolyn Bertozzi at Stanford University. His research combines chemical biology, organic chemistry, protein engineering, cell and molecular biology to precisely manipulate the biological machines present in mammalian cells and drive discovery at the molecular and genetic scales. His group’s work has been recognized with the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Pew Biomedical Scholars Award, Beckman Young Investigator Award, Moore Foundation Inventor Fellowship, a Hypothesis Fund Award, Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative Award, and a Sloan Research Fellowship.
July 23rd, 2026
Host: Sean Gao
Ram Bhaskara
Goethe University
Multi-scale classification decodes the complexity of the human E3 ligome
Ram Bhaskara received his bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Osmania University, India. He then joined the Integrated Ph.D. program in Biological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, India. During this period, he gained research experience in various labs (from field ecology to molecular biophysics). He then joined Prof. N. Srinivasan's group for his Master's and Ph.D. During this period, he developed novel computational tools and analysis schemes to understand the "Structure, Stability, and Evolution of Multi-domain proteins." Ram was honored with the B. H. Iyer Gold Medal for the best doctoral thesis from the Molecular Biophysics Unit (2014). He then began his post-doctoral stint with Prof. Gerhard Hummer at the Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt. Ram worked on diverse membrane remodeling processes: curvature induction, budding, fusion, & poration, primarily using physics-based modeling and simulation approaches. He developed and pioneered novel simulation methods to model dynamic processes inaccessible to experiments. Ram moved to the Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University, in September 2020 as a team leader for Computational Cell Biology to work on Data integration problems, modeling, and simulations of complex systems. He is interested in understanding biophysical mechanisms shaping the complex cellular architecture at various scales. His research focuses on developing computational tools to analyze and decipher molecular mechanisms.
Hilary E. Nicholson
Tango Therapeutics
Engineering Selective Cereblon Engagement: Mechanistic Insights and Proteome‑Wide Off‑Target Assessment for Safer Targeted Protein Degraders
Hilary E. Nicholson, PhD, is an Associate Director in Discovery Biology at Tango Therapeutics. Since joining Tango in 2020, she has led discovery efforts spanning oncology target validation, drug discovery, biomarker strategy, and translational science, including as Program Lead for TNG961, an oral molecular glue degrader of HBS1L for the treatment of FOCAD‑deficient, chromosome 9p21‑deleted cancers.
Prior to joining Tango, Dr. Nicholson completed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of William G. Kaelin, Jr., MD, at Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, studying synthetic lethal vulnerabilities associated with VHL loss in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. This work contributed to the foundation for a clinical trial and was supported by an NIH F32 fellowship. She earned her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology from Brown University and a BA in Biochemistry from Colgate University.
Dr. Nicholson is delighted to return to DFCI to present: “TNG961: A selective oral molecular glue degrader of HBS1L for the treatment of FOCAD-deficient cancers” in the TPD Webinar Series. While Dr. Nicholson is presenting this work, she does so on behalf of a broader, highly collaborative team at Tango. This work reflects the collective efforts of her colleagues across biology, biochemistry, chemistry, translational science, and development, whose expertise and partnership were essential to advancing TNG961 to this milestone.
September 10th, 2026
2026 DFCI-TPD In Person Meeting
12.00 – 12.30 pm Arrival, Registration and Boxed lunch​
​
12:30 – 12:40 pm Welcome Remarks
Dana-Farber Targeted Protein Degradation Organizing Committee Mikołaj Słabicki, Katherine Donovan
​
12:40 – 1:40 pm Keynote: Jay Bradner, AMGEN, host: Katherine Donovan
Therapeutic Modularity | Induced Proximity Therapeutics
​
1:40 – 2:10 pm William Gibson, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, host: Hubert Huang
TBC
​
2:10 – 2:40 pm Yufei Xu, Astellas, host: John Che
Discovery of KRAS Degraders and Expansion of TPD to Challenging Targets
​​
2:40 – 3:10 pm Radek Nowak, University of Bonn, host: MikoÅ‚aj SÅ‚abicki
Targeting transcription factors for degradation
​
3:10 – 3:40 pm Light snack / Coffee break
3:40 – 4:10 pm Sara Buhrlage, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, host: Breanna Zerfas
Pharmacologic interrogation of USP28 cellular function in p53 signaling reveals new therapeutic opportunity
​
4:10 – 4:40 pm Michael Erb, Scripps, host: Hubert Huang
Rewiring DNA repair with PARP-based chemical inducers of proximity
​
4:40 – 5:10 pm Samuel Ojeda, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, host: Sean Gao
Degron-independent recruitment of KAT2A expands the target space of CRBN molecular glues
​
5:10 – 5:40 pm Daniel La, Triana, host: Breanna Zerfas
Discovery of TRI-611, a Selective, CNS-Penetrant Molecular Glue Degrader for ALK-Positive NSCLC
5:10 – 7:00 pm Reception (Appetizers and Open Bar)
Event Location: Linda K. Paresky Conference Center, Simmons University 300 Fenway Boston, MA 02115.
There is a limited number of registration slots available and is based on the seminar room capacity. Registration will work on a first come first served basis. Registration is free of charge, but please cancel your registration (drop line to DFCI.TPD@gmail.com) if you cannot join to open space for others.
Event organized by:
Dana-Farber Targeted Protein Degradation Organizing Committee
Mikołaj Słabicki, Katherine Donovan, Breanna Zerfas, Hubert Huang, John Che, Sean Gao
Sponsored by:
