My beloved car, and my beloved hobby... driving my beloved car to its limits.

Pak project

   In the ongoing effort to identify small molecule inhibitors of relevant cytoskeletal proteins, my research focuses on the characterization and optimization of putative inhibitors of p21- activated kinase 1 (Pak1). We have identified a number of small molecules that inhibit Pak1 activity both in vitro and in vivo. Current efforts are focused on determining which of these inhibitors act via an allosteric mechanism to stabilize Pak1 auto-inhibited dimers.