Dr. Jeffrey Simard

Member of the Cell Pharmacology & Chemical Biology group. In addition to leading multiple drug discovery programs, I develop assays to facilitate the characterization of small molecules mediating the controlled degradation of disease-causing proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Commonly used techniques/technologies: FP, HTRF, AlphaScreen, HiBiT, binding/dimerization assays, ubiquitination assays in cell lysates.

I am working on developing assay technologies in order to biochemically characterize epigenetic targets and other enzymes involved in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases as part of the small molecule Lead Discovery Group in Cambridge.

I am currently leading a new series of projects focusing on the new kinase binding assay I previously developed. We are adapting this technology to several additional kinases of interest with the hopes of identifying new types of inhibitors for these target proteins in a high-throughput format. We are also trying to implement this assay in an industrial setup for re-screening of already existing compound libraries.

Post-Doc and Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. I am carrying out my own proposed research project and am also involved in several other projects, including the development of new enzyme assays, in which our group is interested.

I continued in the research lab of Dr. James A. Hamilton completing several projects that had stemmed from my Ph.D. thesis work and completing several publications.

Protein Purification & Crystallization

Thesis Title: “Fatty Acid Transport: Binding to Human Serum Albumin and Trafficking in Model and Biological Membranes.“