Michael Bollong

Michael Bollong, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research, holding the Early Career Endowed Roon Chair for Cardiovascular Research. His research focuses on drug discovery through high-throughput small molecule screening combined with target identification, aiming to uncover new therapies for regenerative medicine and stress signaling disorders. He earned his PhD in Chemical Biology from Scripps Research in 2016 and a BS in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UC San Diego in 2009.

His lab explores molecular mechanisms underlying mammalian regeneration and cell stress responses, with a particular emphasis on the Hippo-YAP pathway and NRF2 activation. Key achievements include identifying PY-60 as a YAP activator targeting annexin A2 and linking glycolytic metabolites like methylglyoxal to KEAP1 modifications. His work also develops innovative chemical tools, such as 2-sulfonylpyridines for cysteine-reactive electrophiles and proteostasis regulators.

Research Interests: Chemical genetics, regenerative medicine, stress signaling pathways, covalent inhibitors, high-throughput screening, and proteomic profiling.

• Develops platforms for inhibitor-enzyme interaction profiling and covalent inhibitor design
• Investigates metabolic integration with stress response pathways
• Explores small molecules for activating YAP/TEAD and NRF2 signaling

Awards:

• David W. Robertson Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry (2024)
• Amgen Young Investigator Award (2023)
• Philip S. Portoghese Lectureship Award (2022)
• Baxter Foundation Young Faculty Award (2020)

Grants & Collaborations: Leads projects on YAP activation for organ repair, NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, and KEAP1-NRF2 pathway modulation. Collaborates on metabolic stress signaling and covalent inhibitor development.

Labs/Teams: The Bollong Lab at Scripps Research integrates chemical biology, cell biology, and proteomics to accelerate drug discovery.