Lab Website: https://gibsonlab.org/
Lab Location:
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Longwood Center, LC-5210
360 Brookline Ave
Boston, MA 02141
Research Summary
The Gibson Lab uses tools from chemical biology to develop novel therapeutic platforms with the potential to profoundly impact cancer treatment. We are especially focused on addressing areas traditionally considered "undruggable," such as tumor suppressor proteins, protein localization, and gene regulation. Our goal is to enable new therapeutic capabilities through coupling creative molecular design and mechanistic insight.
One major research area is developing small molecules that directly target tumor suppressors, including mutant p53. We are exploring how the altered stability, abundance, or localization of these cancer drivers can be exploited to design selective therapeutics, using engineered small molecules that induce degradation, reprogram localization, or trigger toxic gain-of-function effects in mutant contexts. In parallel efforts, we are building molecules that convert loss-of-function mutations into liabilities by introducing synthetic dependencies.
We are also working to develop small molecule platforms that enable precise control of gene expression by rewiring transcriptional machinery. These bifunctional compounds use induced proximity to recruit chromatin regulators to defined genomic loci, enabling locus-specific activation or repression. We are increasingly applying our induced proximity platforms to applications in cell therapy.
Our lab is collaborative, ambitious, and highly interdisciplinary; our projects often integrate medicinal chemistry, cancer biology, chemical biology, and translational science. We welcome rotation students who want to work on high-risk, high-reward projects at the intersection of cancer biology and chemical biology.