Elizabeth Wittenborn
Scientist, Structural Biology Foghorn Therapeutics
Elizabeth Wittenborn is a Senior Scientist in Structural Biology at Foghorn Therapeutics, where she applies structural and chemical biology approaches to advance novel therapeutics targeting the chromatin regulatory system. Since joining Foghorn in 2021, she has contributed to the discovery and development of precision medicines for genetically defined diseases. Prior to Foghorn, Elizabeth completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Marletta Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on mechanistic and structural studies of biological signaling systems. She earned her PhD in Biological Chemistry from MIT in the Drennan Lab, where her research centered on the structural biology of complex enzymatic systems and molecular mechanisms.
Seminars
- Characterizing degrader-induced protein interactions using structural approaches to understand how molecular glues and PROTACs engage targets and form productive complexes
- Comparing structural observations with functional degradation data to distinguish biologically meaningful interactions from artefacts arising during structural analysis
- Using structural insights to guide degrader design and optimization to improve understanding of target engagement and support more rational TPD development
Structure-based drug design has traditionally been strongest when applied to well-defined protein-ligand interactions, but the emergence of protein degraders, biologics, and other complex modalities is challenging researchers to rethink how structural information should be interpreted and applied. Join structural biologists, medicinal chemists, protein engineers, and drug discovery leaders as they discuss how SBDD can evolve beyond traditional small molecules by:
- Determining where traditional SBDD principles apply to targeted protein degradation, exploring how structural information can inform molecular glue and PROTAC design while recognising that observed interactions may not always reflect functional behaviour
- Using structural information to improve biologic design, discussing how structures can inform not only binding affinity but also protein expression, stability, developability, and molecular engineering
- Adapting structural workflows for complex therapeutic modalities, exploring how advances in cryo-EM and other structural approaches can generate actionable insights into increasingly complex biological interactions and mechanisms of action
