George M Burslem

George M Burslem is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics under the Perelman School of Medicine. His work focuses on developing chemical biology tools to interrogate and modulate lysine post-translational modifications (PTMs), particularly acetylation and ubiquitination, with therapeutic applications in hematological malignancies.

Key research themes include:

• Targeted Protein Degradation: Pioneering Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) for previously undruggable targets like transmembrane receptors.
• Epigenetic Chemical Biology: Designing focused libraries to enhance hit rates against chromatin-modifying enzymes.
• Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Inhibition: Using peptide stapling and proteomimetics to block oncogenic signaling complexes.

His 15 most recent publications (2017-2025) span drug discovery, chemical biology, and cancer mechanisms, with particular emphasis on ubiquitination, histone modifications, and PROTAC technology. Collaborative work with Craig Crews and others demonstrates translational applications in chronic myeloid leukemia and solid tumors.

Lab members include 12 personnel (graduate students, postdocs, and research specialists) working on protein degradation methodologies and PTM dynamics. Current efforts explore intracellular delivery systems and next-generation degradation platforms.