W. Clay Gustafson

Clay Gustafson, MD/PhD, is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, leading the Gustafson Lab within the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center's Pediatric Oncology division. His research focuses on translating basic tumor biology discoveries into novel therapies for pediatric cancers, with particular emphasis on MYC-driven neuroblastoma.

The lab's work centers on:

• Conformation-disrupting Aurora A kinase inhibitors (CD-AURKi) targeting MYCN
• High-throughput drug combination screening for childhood cancers
• Mouse modeling for immunotherapy development
• Mechanistic studies of PI3K/mTOR, BRD4, and Aurora A pathways

Current translational efforts include:

• Clinical testing of preclinical findings
• Industry partnership development
• Assay optimization for drug discovery

Key research trends from publications:

• Targeting undruggable transcription factors through kinase inhibition
• Structure-activity relationships in Aurora A/MYCN interactions
• Allosteric modulation of protein stability networks

Laboratory Contact:

• Location: 1550 4th St, Rock Hall Rm382, Mission Bay Campus
• Phone: (415) 502-3602
• Fax: (415) 476-5356