David Weber

Dr. David Weber serves as Director of the Center for Biomolecular Therapeutics (CBT) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, leading research in cancer therapeutics, structural biology, and drug design. The CBT comprises seven research sections focused on advancing treatments for infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes, and neurological disorders through target identification to therapeutic development.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (1988), postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (1988-1992), and a B.S. in Chemistry from Muhlenberg College (1984).

Weber's research centers on S100 calcium-binding proteins, particularly S100B's role in malignant melanoma where elevated levels suppress p53 tumor suppressor activity. His lab develops small-molecule inhibitors using structure-based drug design to restore p53 function, with promising compounds undergoing evaluation in melanoma mouse models. Additional work spans prostate cancer therapeutics (targeting AR/AR-V7 and Mnk1/2), binary toxin mechanisms, and computational drug discovery methods like SILCS.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) reveals dominant themes in cancer drug development (especially prostate and breast cancer), structural mechanisms of bacterial toxins, and innovative computational approaches for ligand binding kinetics. Key methodologies include thermal proteome profiling, high-definition mass spectrometry, and NMR spectroscopy.

As Director of CBT, Weber oversees state-of-the-art facilities for medicinal chemistry, structural biology, and protein engineering, leveraging University System of Maryland resources to advance therapeutic candidates from discovery through preclinical development. His team utilizes unique biomedical tools for target identification and validation across multiple disease areas.