Congratulations to Dr. Christina Woo at @Harvard for receiving a Supplemental Grant! @thewoolab @HarvardCCB #DreyfusAwards

💚My New Cover for @thewoolab @Harvard 💙 This art illustrates the discovery that #cereblon, a key protein in the cell’s waste disposal system, recognizes small chemical tags called #cyclic_imides (shown here in green at the tips of proteins). These naturally form at the end of #damaged_proteins and resemble the structure of #thalidomide, a drug with a complex legacy… 📍Originally used as a sedative in the 1950s, thalidomide became infamous for causing severe birth defects when taken during pregnancy… Because it’s dreadful effects during pregnancy were not assessed during trails… Only decades later, it was found to bind #cereblon and alter its function. Today, thalidomide and its modern relatives are used in #cancer_therapies because they redirect cereblon to degrade disease-related proteins📍 The study shows that #cereblon doesn’t just respond to drugs like thalidomide, it also recognizes similar structures that arise during protein damage. These cyclic imide #degrons could be harnessed to design new treatments that guide cereblon to target harmful proteins! 🔗 doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts… #sciart #science #scientific_illustration #chemistry #medicine #ellamaru #sciencegirl #sci_artist #sci_design #cover #scientific_cover #medicalartist #phd #phdlife