Damian Young

Dr. Damian Young is an Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, holding dual appointments in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and the Department of Pathology. He also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Rice University's Chemistry Department and is a member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research focuses on synthetic organic chemistry, fragment-based drug discovery, and chemical biology, particularly targeting cancer therapies.

Dr. Young earned a BS from Howard University, a PhD from North Carolina State University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University and the Broad Institute. He has received notable awards, including the CPRIT Scholar award (2014) and NIH Minority Predoctoral Fellowship (2000-2004).

His research emphasizes developing chemical pathways for small-molecule probes and fragment-based drug discovery against challenging targets. Key projects include the Recruitment of First-Time Tenure Track Faculty Members (CPRIT-funded, $2M) and SPARC Program grants. The Young Lab collaborates with institutions like the Broad Institute and focuses on methodologies such as diversity-oriented synthesis and macrocyclic compound design.

• Grants:
  • Recruitment Award ($2M, CPRIT, 2014-2018)
  • Broad Institute SPARC Program ($100K, 2011-2012)
  • NIH P50 Center ($1.25M portion, 2008-2013)

Lab activities include exploring synthetic strategies for drug discovery, such as the build/couple/pair approach for macrocyclic inhibitors and stereodivergent synthesis of hybrid fragments. The lab is affiliated with Baylor's Center for Drug Discovery and collaborates on projects like GSK3β inhibitor development.