The Craven Lab launches in fall 2025 and we’re building a collaborative, curiosity-driven team. If you’re excited about organic chemistry, cancer biology, structural biology and proteomics then get in touch! Our major research themes are listed below.
Covalent inhibition of mutant lysines in cancer
We are exploiting covalent chemistry to target recurrent cancer-causing lysine mutations. We design and synthesize electrophilic small molecules that specifically target the lysine mutations that cancers depend on. This approach offers a therapeutic angle for addressing oncogenic gain-of-function mutations while mitigating adverse effects on healthy tissue.
Novel modalities for drug discovery
We’re developing innovative therapeutic strategies that use covalent chemistry to selectively induce high-affinity metal binding in disease-associated proteins. By harnessing underexplored covalent warheads and noncanonical binding mechanisms, we aim to modulate challenging protein targets. These approaches open new avenues for precision chemical biology and drug discovery.
Lipid metabolism in cancer immune evasion
We are investigating how dysregulated lipid metabolism enables cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. Using chemoproteomic and activity-based probes, we aim to map and modulate fatty acid-derived metabolites in tumor and immune cells. These tools provide new insights into metabolic immunosuppression and therapeutic vulnerabilities.
