Philip A. Cole

Philip A. Cole, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Medicine and Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. His research focuses on the chemical biology of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) in signaling, epigenetics, and cancer. Cole received his B.S. in Chemistry from Yale University, trained as a Churchill Scholar at the University of Cambridge, and earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He has previously held positions at Rockefeller University and Johns Hopkins before returning to Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in 2017.

• Current Affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Prior Affiliation: Rockefeller University, Johns Hopkins University

Research in the Cole lab integrates chemical approaches such as protein semisynthesis and small molecule probes to investigate PTMs like phosphorylation, acetylation, and ubiquitination. Key targets include enzymes involved in cancer pathways, such as PTEN, Akt, NEDD4, LSD1, HDAC1, and the CoREST complex. The group aims to translate these findings into novel therapeutic strategies for diseases including cancer.

The lab is affiliated with Harvard's Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) and Chemical Biology Graduate Programs, located in the New Research Building at Harvard Medical School. Their work bridges biochemical mechanisms with translational applications in epigenetics and cell signaling.