Transitioning to Drug Discovery — Dr. Vern Schramm has been awarded a $2.5 million grant over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The funding supports his continued work with enzymes – the biological molecules that help carry out important chemical reactions – as targets for drug development. Dr. Schramm’s research on enzymatic transition states has demonstrated significant promise in this arena. The fundamental aspects of the research are providing insights into the essential catalytic nature of enzymes. Use of that information is applied to drug targets. Through license agreements from Einstein, several drugs using this approach are in clinical development with industry partners. Dr. Schramm is the Ruth Merns Chair of Biochemistry, and professor and chair of biochemistry.
Posted on: Tuesday, December 11, 2012