Welcome Molecular Cancer Therapeutics Senior Editor Bryan Dickinson, PhD, who brings expertise in chemical biology, protein engineering, and RNA-targeting therapeutics. Learn more about the journal: buff.ly/SvrkEMr @chembiobryan.bsky.social
Bryan Dickinson
@chembiobryan.bsky.social
chemical/synthetic biologist, Luddite trying to find better ways to make molecules that do important stuff, dad, @uchicago professor of chemistry http://www.dickinsonlab.uchicago.edu/
I learned a new word today! "Polyspecificity" Our binders aren't non-specific. They are POLYspecific! I am very POLYimpressed by this research.nvidia.com/labs/genair/...
Proteina-Complexa
Proteina-Complexa combines joint sequence-structure generation in a continuous latent space with inference-time search for de novo protein binder design. In a massive-scale experimental benchmark — o...
research.nvidia.com
Nice article about Josh and Matt and their work together on this paper. Uchicago undergrads are very special! chemistry.uchicago.edu/news/new-uch...
New UChicago Platform Rapidly Generates Custom Protein Binders to Target Disease
How an innovative UChicago laboratory built a fast-moving platform to target "undruggable" cancer proteins and train the next generation of scientific leaders
chemistry.uchicago.edu
This work is now out at @pnas.org In drug discovery it’s often said selectivity is key - and here is a solution! Our PANCS platforms continue to expand! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
This work is now out at @pnas.org In drug discovery it’s often said selectivity is key - and here is a solution! Our PANCS platforms continue to expand! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
pnas.org
Check out our newest work! This is a story on how to get selectivity in binders - both isoform and site selectivity. Read the paper or enjoy this brief Skytorial of what we did! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/n
The leadership and clarity of @MIT President Sally Kornbluth www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/26/o...
America built the world’s greatest research engine. Now it’s shrinking. - The Boston Globe
At public and private universities across the country, high-impact science is being damaged and derailed.
bostonglobe.com
Wow - what a lineup for the SMART Symposium on the Expanding Genetic Code and Beyond & GCE Workshop in Shenzhen!!! If you are in China definitely this is the conference to attend this Fall! symposia.smart.org.cn/sym/event/Fu...
Symposia
symposia.smart.org.cn
NEW: They Got the Best NIH Scores of Their Careers. A Year Later, They Still Don’t Have Funding. As the NIH bankrolls new research at a significantly slower-than-usual pace, I talked to scientists left in the lurch about the toll on their research and careers: www.chronicle.com/article/they...
They Got the Best NIH Scores of Their Careers. A Year Later, They Still Don’t Have Funding.
The NIH’s spending on new medical research is significantly slower than in previous years, leaving confused scientists in the lurch.
chronicle.com
Our more recent paper is hot off the press in @jacs.acspublications.org Great team effort and a preview of what the future looks like for our group.... pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
A Rapid Binder Discovery Workflow for Engineering Mini-Protein Degraders
Developing molecules that selectively bind targets of interest remains a critical bottleneck in biological research and biotechnology. Here, we present a workflow that leverages the Phage-Assisted Non-Continuous Selection for Binders (PANCS-Binders) technology for rapid de novo binder discovery. To directly assess the speed and utility of the approach, we pursued three cancer-related targets: NSD3, NMNAT2, and CSF1R. Within 26 days, the PANCS-Binders workflow yielded sequence- and function-verified binders for all three targets with nano-to-micromolar affinities. By incorporating an NSD3 binder into an engineered E3 ligase, RNF8, we developed an NSD3 degrader that potently depleted endogenous NSD3 and inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation. We then applied this degrader to reveal previously unknown NSD3 dependencies in ovarian cancer cell lines, uncovering new therapeutic vulnerabilities. Together, our work establishes a robust workflow for accelerated binder discovery and demonstrates how binders can expedite chemical biology discovery and biotechnology development.
pubs.acs.org
1/ Check out our newest paper where we ask: How fast can we experimentally discover binders from scratch? And we mean scratch: a blinded study. TLDR: 26 days. And the binders work…and led to new cancer biology. We’re coming for you AI…. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
See our thoughts and overview on the field of binder discovery! Also it has a bit of an update on some of our own work pushing to new directions www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Toward universal binder discovery: Advances in display, computational design and in vivo platforms
Protein binders are fundamental tools in chemical biology, key components of biotechnologies, and the foundation of biologics-based medicines. However…
sciencedirect.com
See our recent review on proximity chemistry to study RNA biology. If you are interested in getting into the field, this is an easy way to get caught up on the chemistry and technology: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Proximity chemistries to study RNA biology at the subcellular scale
RNAs preferentially localize across virtually every subcellular compartment, from membrane-bound organelles, membrane-less condensates and even the ce…
sciencedirect.com
Save the date! 🧪The EMBO Workshop on Chemical Biology returns to EMBL Heidelberg on 8–11 Sep 2026. Co-organisers: Bryan Dickinson (UChicago), Maja Köhn (Bonn), Edward Lemke (IMB), Xiao Wang (MIT). #ChemicalBiology #EMBOChemBio #EMBO #EMBL #SaveTheDate #Biotech #Science www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Chemical biology
embl.org
My lab’s next paper is out in JACS! Congrats to Taemin and Ching who discovered that Brønsted acids unlock mild interfacial catalytic halogen atom transfer at Ag electrodes! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Grateful to iDefine for supporting a new project aimed ultimately at helping these patients. www.idefine.org
Kleefstra Syndrome
Building abrighter future. IDefine is committed to identifying life-changing treatments & cures for those with Kleefstra syndrome (KS), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a loss of function in on...
idefine.org
The Bryan Dickinson Group and IDefine partner to develop programmable RNA therapy targeting the genetic root of Kleefstra syndrome. Link - shorturl.at/6DEjE #KleefstraSyndrome #RareDisease #RNAResearch #MedicalInnovation #DickinsonLab @chembiobryan.bsky.social
Check out our new review on binder discovery! In a fast-moving world, here are some thoughts we have in the moment. Congrats @jzy2799.bsky.social and Eddy!! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Toward universal binder discovery: Advances in display, computational design and in vivo platforms
Protein binders are fundamental tools in chemical biology, key components of biotechnologies, and the foundation of biologics-based medicines. However…
sciencedirect.com
Excited to share our new work in @narjournal.bsky.social ! We engineered a human-based translational activator that rescued phenotypes in a Dravet syndrome mouse model by boosting protein expression from haploinsufficient genes. A thread on targeting translation 🧵 academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Engineering a human-based translational activator for targeted protein expression restoration
Abstract. Therapeutic modalities to programmably increase protein production are in critical need to address diseases caused by deficient gene expression v
academic.oup.com
The final version of our new paper is out now - and open access @acs.org Central Science!! Such a fun collaboration! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Directed Evolution of Enzymes for Bioorthogonal Chemistry Using Acid Chloride Proximity Labeling
Combining bioorthogonal protecting groups with localized catalysts that can unmask them is a powerful approach to spatially and temporally modulate molecular activity. Enzymes are appealing catalysts ...
pubs.acs.org
Excited to share a new pre-print on a joint study between my group and @chembiobryan.bsky.social! Directed Evolution of Enzymes for Bioorthogonal Chemistry Using Acid Chloride Proximity Labeling. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr... 1/n
A true Christmas story well worth a read 👇
1/ Check out our newest paper where we ask: How fast can we experimentally discover binders from scratch? And we mean scratch: a blinded study. TLDR: 26 days. And the binders work…and led to new cancer biology. We’re coming for you AI…. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
1/ Check out our newest paper where we ask: How fast can we experimentally discover binders from scratch? And we mean scratch: a blinded study. TLDR: 26 days. And the binders work…and led to new cancer biology. We’re coming for you AI…. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
Organelles do NOT have a single uniform pH. And if you think they must, because “protons diffuse fast,” this paper is for you. A thread on why that assumption is wrong; and what we found instead. 🧵 1/n
Organelles harbour pH gradients https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.694065v1
One more paper from our lab! This ACS Synthetic Biology paper reports bottom-up construction of eukaryotic-like synthetic cells with an artificial nucleus-like organelle, enabling on-demand protein localization control by a small molecule. 💊 pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
Eukaryotic-like Synthetic Cells with Chemically Controlled Protein Localization
Compartmentalization by organelles and the dynamic control of protein localization within these compartmentalized spaces are key mechanisms for regulating biological processes in eukaryotic cells. Here, we present a bottom-up approach for constructing cell-sized liposomes (giant unilamellar vesicles, GUVs) encapsulating an artificial organelle with chemically controlled protein localization. In this system, proteins fused to Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase are rapidly recruited on demand from the inner solution to the interior of a DNA-droplet-based (“nucleus”-like) organelle within GUVs upon addition of a synthetic, DNA-binding trimethoprim derivative to the external solution. By coupling this system with a sequence-specific protease, we constructed a synthetic cell platform that enables chemically induced, multistep cascade reactions─including protein relocalization, organelle-specific enzymatic activity, and product release from the organelle─that culminate in the control of synthetic-cell phenotypes, such as pore formation in the GUV membrane. This work provides a versatile platform for the bottom-up creation of eukaryotic-like synthetic cells with sophisticated and programmable functions.
pubs.acs.org
Our latest paper on a novel synthetic condensate platform, LAMA-SPREC, is out in ACS Chemical Biology! It enables chemically switchable and reversible control of protein function via sequestration and release in mammalian cells. 🔬💊🚿 pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....
A Chemically Switchable Synthetic Condensate Platform for Reversible Protein Sequestration and Release
Creating artificial organelles that sequester and release specific proteins in response to a small molecule in mammalian cells is an attractive approach for regulating protein function. In this work, ...
pubs.acs.org
While the White Paper gives many important recommendations, this sentence especially struck a cord with me: "We need selfless leaders who unite individuals towards creating a shared vision." I definitely felt the willingness of this great cohort of NextGen Leaders to put this into reality. (10/11)
Professor @krishnanyamuna.bsky.social builds molecular reporters that survive inside living cells to send back data. Her inspired work at U of Chicago shows us the chemical maps of our own biology. It is delicate work with heavy implications. She is watching life happen from the inside out.
Check out our newest work! This is a story on how to get selectivity in binders - both isoform and site selectivity. Read the paper or enjoy this brief Skytorial of what we did! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/n
PANCS-spec-Binders: A system for rapidly discovering isoform- or epitope-specific binders
Proteins that bind to a target protein of interest, termed "binders," are essential components of biological research reagents and therapeutics. Target proteins present multiple binding surfaces with ...
biorxiv.org
AHEM?! (apologies in advance for the shameless self-promotion) www.linkedin.com/company/chembioviii/
ChemBioVIII – Reunión Bienal GEQB-RSEQ | LinkedIn
ChemBioVIII – Reunión Bienal GEQB-RSEQ | 105 followers on LinkedIn. Where Chemical Biology Meets Innovation | Official page of ChemBioVIII – the 8th Biennial Meeting of the Chemical Biology Specialize...
linkedin.com
Okay okay. How about THE EUROPEAN chemical biology conference. Seems like good people attending Janelia too. Except that Bryan guy?? What the heck has he done recently?
ahem, ONE of THE chemical biology conferences of 2026:) www.janelia.org/you-janelia/...
Registration for THE chemical biology conference of 2026 is now open! EMBO ChemBio 2026 in Heidelberg DeGrado, Arikin, Picotti (Keynotes). @lmkdassama.bsky.social @brianliau.bsky.social @rhodamine110.bsky.social @benlehner.bsky.social @alitavassoli.bsky.social www.embl.org/about/info/c...
Chemical biology 2026
embl.org
Do you study lipids or lipidation, but don't know where to send your newest work? Send us your fat papers, phat papers, and even phatty acid papers. While the special issue is not saturated, it's filling up fast, and won't be unsaturated forever! Phase separate with us and build community!
#ACSChemBio and #Biochemistry invite submissions to a special issue on Lipids and Lipidation guest edited by @chembiobryan.bsky.social and me! Find details in the #CallforPapers and submit your exciting findings to one of these journals by May 31, 2026. axial.acs.org/chemical-bio... #lipidtime
🚨Our paper is out! 🥳 Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for efficient genetic code expansion. Many congrats to everyone involved - a multi-year effort led by @taruniype.bsky.social @maxfottner.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... it all started years ago with a failed experiment 🧵👇 1/9
Hijacking a bacterial ABC transporter for genetic code expansion - Nature
Bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters can be utilized and engineered to transport non-canonical amino acids into Escherichia coli for highly efficient synthesis of proteins with novel func...
nature.com