ESR8: Nina-Louisa Efrém
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Host Organization
Nazaré Lab Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) Berlin, Germany Supervisor Dr. Marc Nazaré 
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Design and synthesis of allosteric phosphatase inhibitors The cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 plays a central role in oncogenic signaling cascades and therefore attracts considerable attention as a therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer. However, the development of drug-like inhibitors for the SHP2 catalytic site has proven challenging due to its highly conserved and positively charged character, decreasing the selectivity and bioavailability of active-site inhibitors. An alternative strategy to target SHP2 is the development of negative allosteric modulators that lock the protein in its autoinhibited conformation. Emerging allosteric SHP2 inhibitors show favorable pharmacokinetic properties compared to active-site inhibitors and have recently entered clinical trials.
My project focuses on the development of novel allosteric chemical probes that can provide a better understanding of the molecular pharmacology of SHP2 inhibition and its implications in (patho-)physiology. |
Brief Scientific Bio
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, in 2018. Originally having a background in Biochemistry, I discovered my passion for Medicinal Chemistry and Organic Synthesis early on during my studies. In line with this interest, I carried out internships at Bayer Pharmaceuticals and at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces before moving to the Netherlands for my Master’s in Drug Design and Synthesis at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. After my graduation in 2020, I did a gap year in industry, participating in the Roche internship in Medicinal Chemistry (RiCH) program in Basel, Switzerland. Returning to Berlin for my PhD, I joined the group of Dr. Marc Nazaré at the Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology and am now mainly working on the development of allosteric phosphatase modulators.
I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, in 2018. Originally having a background in Biochemistry, I discovered my passion for Medicinal Chemistry and Organic Synthesis early on during my studies. In line with this interest, I carried out internships at Bayer Pharmaceuticals and at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces before moving to the Netherlands for my Master’s in Drug Design and Synthesis at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. After my graduation in 2020, I did a gap year in industry, participating in the Roche internship in Medicinal Chemistry (RiCH) program in Basel, Switzerland. Returning to Berlin for my PhD, I joined the group of Dr. Marc Nazaré at the Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology and am now mainly working on the development of allosteric phosphatase modulators.
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This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956314.
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