Category: James K. Chen

CSB Alumni Event: “From Stanford to Careers – Alumni Share their Journeys” 

Join us! CSB Chen Lab Happy Hour, Friday, July 7, Discovery Walk!

Celebrating its Unique Program, Establishing a New Tradition with Alumni

“We have a deep understanding of biology at both the molecular level and the systems level. It’s like seeing two sides of the coin simultaneously. And we and our alumni can now tackle problems that were unsolvable ten years ago.” — James K. Chen, PhD, Chair, CSB Department

Aaron Crapster receives SPARK Award for Excellence in Translational Research

Aaron Crapster is a recipient of the SPARK Award for Excellence in Translational Research.

Postdocs Anupam Chakravarty and Karen Mruk receive Joan Mansour Travel Award

Congratulations to Anupam Chakravarty (Jarosz Lab) and Karen Mruk (Chen Lab) on receiving the Joan Mansour Travel Award.

Postdoc Karen Mruk is a Featured Trainee in the International Zebrafish Society

Karen Mruk, postdoc in the Chen Lab, is a Featured Trainee in the International Zebrafish Society website.

James Chen Appointed Chair of Chemical and Systems Bilogy

James Chen, PhD, has been appointed chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Chemical and Systems Biology. His five-year term began Sept. 1.

Postdoc Invents A New Way to Regulate The Stability Of Specific Proteins Using Non-Toxic Blue Light

Dr. Kim Bonger, working with her colleagues in the Chen and Wandless labs, developed a new method to regulate the stability of specific proteins using non-toxic blue light.

Small-Molecule Inhibitors Of The AAA+ Atpase Motor Cytoplasmic Dynein

The AAA+ ATPase motor cytoplasmic dynein regulates a diverse range of cellular functions, including mitotic spindle assembly, organelle trafficking, and ciliary and axonal transport. Since the dynamics of these processes are much faster than the action of reverse-genetic technologies, small-molecule modulators are essential tools for studying dynein-dependent biology. In the Apr. 5 issue of Nature, Firestone et al. reports the first chemical inhibitors of this minus-end-directed microtubule motor, which emerged from a high-throughput screen for Hedgehog pathway inhibitors. The benzoyl dihydroquinazolinone derivatives, collectively named “ciliobrevins” for their effects on primary cilia length, selectively inhibit cytoplasmic dynein 1 and 2, as demonstrated by their cellular phenotypes and actions on dynein function in vitro.