معرفی
Yael David is an Associate Professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center within the Chemical Biology Program of the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Her interdisciplinary research bridges chemical biology, biochemistry, and cell biology to investigate epigenetic regulation of transcription in health and disease.
Education:
- B.S. in Biology, Summa Cum Laude, SUNY Stony Brook
- Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science (Biochemistry and Cell Biology)
- Postdoctoral Training, Princeton University (Chemistry Department with Prof. Tom Muir)
Dr. David's research focuses on developing chemical tools to synthesize site-specifically modified histones in vitro and in vivo to study epigenetic mechanisms in disease states, particularly cancer. Her lab pioneered the first synthesis of site-specifically modified histones in animal brains and discovered a new family of histone modifications that alter chromatin structure and function. Current projects investigate non-enzymatic covalent modifications linking metabolism to cell fate, H1 linker histone roles in epigenetic landscapes, novel histone ubiquitination events, epigenetic regulation in HBV infection, and non-canonical chromatin structures in micronuclei. Her work has fundamentally advanced understanding of whether histone modifications causally drive chromatin states or are consequences of transcriptional processes.
Analysis of Dr. David's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on translational epigenetics, with key themes including chromatin-based mechanisms in viral infection (particularly Hepatitis B), metabolic-epigenetic crosstalk through non-enzymatic histone modifications, and chromatin dysregulation in cancer metastasis. Her innovative chemical biology approaches consistently bridge basic mechanistic discoveries with therapeutic applications.
Scientific Recognition:
- NIH/NIGMS Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA)
- Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Alliance Award
- NIH Cutting-Edge Basic Research Award (CEBRA)
- Chemical Protein Synthesis (CPS) Rising Star in Protein Synthesis
- Boyer Award in Basic Research
- Anna Fuller Cancer Research Award
Dr. David mentors multiple graduate students and postdoctoral fellows across Weill Cornell Medicine and the Tri-Institutional PhD Program. Her lab has secured substantial funding including an NIH MIRA grant, STARR Cancer Consortium award, and Pershing Square Sohn funding. She actively collaborates with leading researchers including David Lyden, Jackie Bromberg, and Leemore Joshua-Tor on projects spanning cancer metastasis, viral pathogenesis, and structural biochemistry. Dr. David serves as a Josie Robertson Investigator (2016-2021) and organizes international scientific conferences including the Epigenetics & Aging meeting.
The David Lab maintains strong collaborative ties with the Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, and the Sloan Kettering Institute. Recent lab expansions include new postdoctoral fellows supported by prestigious EMBO and Swiss National Science Foundation fellowships. The lab actively participates in NYC Chromatin Club and organizes career development workshops for trainees covering pharmaceutical industry, consulting, scientific writing, and startup entrepreneurship.
