Brian C. Smith

Brian C. Smith, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), with adjunct roles at Marquette University. His affiliations include leadership as Associate Director of the Program in Chemical Biology and memberships in MCW's Cancer Center, Cardiovascular Research Center, and Center for Disease Prevention Research. He holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley and Scripps Research.

Dr. Smith's research spans redox biochemistry, epigenetic regulation, and enzyme mechanisms, focusing on post-translational modifications like S-nitrosation and lysine acylation. His lab studies sirtuin deacetylases, BET bromodomains, and nitric oxide signaling using techniques such as mass spectrometry, NMR, and chemical probe development. Major themes include:

• Developing bromodomain inhibitors for diabetes and cancer
• Deciphering redox control of protein function
• Engineering selective epigenetic modulators

His recent publications (2023–2025) emphasize BET bromodomain therapeutics, sirtuin oxidative regulation, and redox metabolism in disease, with frequent appearances in high-impact journals like J Biol Chem, Cell Chem Biol, and ACS Chemical Biology.

Honors include:

• MCW Outstanding Graduate Educator Award (2018)
• MCW Faculty Service Award (2019)
• Phi Beta Kappa & Bronze Tablet (Top 3% graduate, UIUC)
• NIH F31/R35 grants with impact scores of 12–17 (top percentiles)

He actively mentors PhD students and postdocs, with funded projects totaling over $3M from NIH, ADA, and AHA. His lab collaborates with cardiovascular and cancer research teams, leveraging MCW's core facilities in structural genomics and redox biology.