Celia Schiffer

Celia Schiffer is the Arthur F. and Helen P. Koskinas Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology at UMass Chan Medical School. She holds multiple appointments across the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and various UMass Chan Programs and Institutes, with primary appointments in Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, Chemical Biology, and the Institute for Drug Resistance.

Dr. Schiffer earned her BA in Physics from the University of Chicago in 1986 and her PhD in Biophysics from the University of California, San Francisco in 1992. She completed postdoctoral training at ETH-Zurich (1992-94) and Genentech (1994-97) before establishing her independent research career.

Dr. Schiffer's research focuses on the interface of evolution and structure-based drug design, with particular emphasis on constraining evolution to avoid drug resistance. Her laboratory combines experimental and computational approaches including protein crystallography, enzymology, molecular dynamics simulations, and organic chemistry to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in viral pathogens. Her work has established the 'substrate envelope' paradigm for designing inhibitors that minimize resistance, which has been validated across HIV, Hepatitis C, and Influenza systems. Recent research has expanded into gene editing technologies and APOBEC3 enzyme inhibition.

Analysis of Dr. Schiffer's recent publications reveals a strong focus on understanding and combating drug resistance through structural biology approaches. Her work spans viral targets including SARS-CoV-2 main protease, influenza hemagglutinin, HIV protease, and APOBEC3 enzymes. Recent trends show increasing integration of computational methods with experimental structural biology to predict resistance mechanisms before they emerge clinically. Her research bridges basic science with translational applications, particularly in the development of next-generation antiviral therapeutics that are less susceptible to resistance.

• Arthur F. and Helen P. Koskinas Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology

Dr. Schiffer actively mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers through multiple programs at UMass Chan, including the Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, Biophysical Chemical and Computational Biology, and Immunology and Microbiology programs. Her laboratory, the Schiffer Lab, maintains an interdisciplinary approach that brings together experts in structural biology, virology, computational chemistry, and medicinal chemistry to tackle the complex problem of drug resistance. The lab operates at the interface of basic and translational research, with collaborations across UMass Chan and with external institutions.