Jason Gestwicki, PhD
Professor
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
School of Pharmacy

415-502-7121

The Gestwicki Laboratory is interested in molecular chaperones, protein homeostasis and protein misfolding disorders. To approach the big questions in this area, we use a chemical biology strategy that includes the discovery and optimization of new chemical inhibitors. We use these chemical probes to acutely perturb chaperone functions, revealing how these systems normally protect from cancer and neurodegeneration.

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Many of our chemical probes target allosteric and protein-protein interaction sites on the molecular chaperones and we have a significant interest in discovering inhibitors of "difficult" targets. We hope to better understand the logic of protein folding and misfolding and use this information to design more effective therapies.

Awards

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  • Everson Lecture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2020
  • Chair, Bioorganic Chemistry GRC, 2019
  • Dean’s Apple Award, Outstanding Teaching in UCSF School of Pharmacy, 2018
  • Elected Fellow, Cell Stress Society International (CSSI), 2018
  • Keynote Speaker, 9th International Symposium on Heat Shock Proteins in Biology and Medicine, 2018
  • Director, Chemistry & Chemical Biology Ph.D. Program, University of California San Francisco, 2017
  • Plenary Lecture, Midwest Stress Response Meeting, 2013
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, 2012
  • Co-Chair, Keystone Meeting “Chemical Biology and Novel Probes in Pharmacology”, 2012
  • William B. Pratt Collegiate Professorship, University of Michigan, 2011-2013
  • Everson Lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2010
  • NSF CAREER Award, 2009
  • McKnight Foundation's Brain Disorders Award, 2006
  • Biological Sciences Scholar, University of Michigan, 2005
  • Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellow, Stanford University, 2003
  • Sigrid Leirmo Award, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2001
  • NIH Biotechnology Training Fellow, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1998

Education & Training

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  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training University of California 2017

Interests

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  • protein misfolding diseases
  • protein-protein interactions
  • medicinal chemistry
  • protein folding
  • high throughput screening
  • molecular chaperones
  • organic synthesis
  • allostery

Websites

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Grants and Projects

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Publications (232)

Top publication keywords:
Heat-Shock ProteinsHSP90 Heat-Shock ProteinsMolecular ChaperonesProtein Bindingtau ProteinsEscherichia coli ProteinsHSP70 Heat-Shock ProteinsProtein FoldingBenzothiazolesProtein Interaction MapsHSP40 Heat-Shock ProteinsApoptosis Regulatory ProteinsHSC70 Heat-Shock ProteinsTauopathiesProteostasis

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