Kevan Shokat

Kevan Shokat is a Professor of Chemistry and Co-Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He previously held faculty positions at Princeton University as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Chemistry.

• B.A. from Reed College (1986)
• Ph.D. from UC Berkeley (1991)
• Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow at Stanford University (1991-94)

His research merges bio-organic chemistry and pharmacology to decode signal transduction pathways using chemical genetics. The Shokat Lab focuses on engineering protein kinases to develop small-molecule inhibitors for therapeutic targeting in diseases like cancer, asthma, neurological disorders, and bacterial infections. Their proprietary pyrazolopyrimidine-based system allows selective inhibition of mutant kinases with <5 nM potency, enabling studies in yeast, mice, and other model organisms.

• NSF Early Career Development Award (1995-97)
• Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences (1996-00)
• Searle Scholar (1997-00)
• Cottrell Scholar (1997-00)
• Glaxo-Wellcome Scholar in Organic Chemistry (1997-98)
• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (1999-2001)

The lab has demonstrated applications in yeast kinases (CDC28, Fus3, Ipl1, CDC15, Cla4, Elm1, Ark1) and aims to extend this approach to C. elegans and Drosophila models. The pyrazolopyrimidine inhibitors exhibit excellent pharmacokinetic properties, including blood-brain barrier penetration and bioavailability in mice.