Chemical Biology Program

The Derek Tan Lab

Derek Tan, PhD

Chair, Chemical Biology Program, SKI; Tri-Institutional Professor; Eugene W. Kettering Chair

The identification of small-molecule probes and therapeutic lead compounds to address novel biological targets is a significant current challenge in chemical biology and drug discovery. We are engaged in a two-pronged approach to this problem involving diversity-oriented synthesis and rational design as complementary approaches to ligand discovery. Our work in both of these areas is influenced at multiple levels by insights from natural products. At the core of these efforts is the development of new chemical methodologies to provide flexible, efficient, systematic access to these structures. We leverage multidisciplinary collaborations with biologists to evaluate these molecules to probe key biological processes and to explore new therapeutic opportunities in cancer and infectious diseases. Our group is strongly committed to promoting diversity and inclusion at all levels and welcomes scientists from all backgrounds!

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Research Projects

Research Projects

VIDEO | 02:08

Go inside the lab of Derek Tan from SKI's Chemical Biology Program.

Video Details

Featured News

SKI scientists David Scheinberg and Derek Tan

Sloan Kettering Institute Scientists Retool CAR T Cells to Serve as ‘Micropharmacies’ for Cancer Drugs

These souped-up versions may help overcome some limitations of existing CAR T cells.

Science Spotlight: Experience the Drug Discovery Journey with Derek Tan, PhD

The June 15 edition of “MSK Science Spotlight,” features Derek Tan, PhD discussing “A Drug Discovery Journey from Tuberculosis to Cancer.”

In the Lab

Test tubes and glass vials and beakers sit on a desk in a laboratory.

New Chemical Biology Program Brings Power of Chemistry to Biomedical Research

A new Sloan Kettering Institute program will enhance the use of chemical principles to investigate biological processes.

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Publications Highlights

Design and semisynthesis of biselectrophile-functionalized ubiquitin probes to investigate transthioesterification reactions.
Kochańczyk, T.; Hann, Z. S.; Lux, M. C.; Delos Reyes, A. M. V.; Ji, C.; Tan, D. S.* ; Lima, C. D.* Nature 2024, 633, 216–223.
[ Abstract | PubMed | PMC ]

Design and semisynthesis of biselectrophile-functionalized ubiquitin probes to investigate transthioesterification reactions.
Delos Reyes, A. M. V. ^†; Lux, M. C. ^†; Hann, Z. S. ^†; Ji, C.; Kochańczyk, T.; DiBello, M.; Lima, C. D.*; Tan, D. S.* Org. Lett. 2024, 26, 4594–4599.
[ Abstract | PubMed | PMC ]

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People

Derek Tan, PhD

Chair, Chemical Biology Program, SKI; Tri-Institutional Professor; Eugene W. Kettering Chair

Derek Tan’s lab studies diversity-oriented synthesis and rational drug design of probes and lead compounds for chemical biology and drug discovery.
BS, Stanford University
PhD, Harvard University

[email protected]: Email Address
Download CV: PDF File

Members

Elijah Mugabe

Graduate Student

Christopher Nieves-Escobar

Graduate Student

Lab Alumni

Christopher Evans
Graduate Research Assistant

Sirkka Moilanen Stephan
Graduate Student

Alyssa Verano
Graduate Research Assistant

Kha Nguyen
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Yao Xu , PhD — Yao Xu
Postdoctoral Fellow

Shalini Balakrishnan
Postdoctoral Fellow

Maria Chiriac, PhD — Maria Chiriac
Postdoctoral Fellow

Tezcan Guney, PhD — Tezcan Guney
Postdoctoral Fellow

Jessica Hurtak, PhD — Jessica Hurtak
Postdoctoral Fellow

Shibin Zhao, PhD — Shibin Zhao
Postdoctoral Fellow

Campbell Echols
Administrative Assistant

Eleanor Allen
Pharmacology Rotation Student

Tran Hoang
Pharmacology Rotation Student

Alana Williams

TPCB Rotation Student

Chan Hee Choi
MD-PhD Rotation Student (2013)

Jarrod French

TPCB Rotation Student

Christina Maksymiuk
Pharm Rotation Student

Maxim Oleynikov

Pharmacology Rotation Student

Julie Pickett
Pharmacology Rotation Student

Michael Stokes
Pharmacology Rotation Student

Svena Verma
Pharmacology Rotation Student

Isa Watson
Pharmacology Rotation Student

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

Development of salicyl-AMS, a novel antibacterial agent to treat tuberculosis and other infections
Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Basic Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2010)
Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (2013)

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs

Career Opportunities

Training opportunities in the Tan lab.

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Get in Touch

[email protected]

Lab Head Email
646-888-2228

Lab Phone

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Derek Tan discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Adjuvance Technologies
Intellectual Property Rights
Aflac Inc.
Equity
Amgen
Equity
CoImmune, Inc.
Equity; Intellectual Property Rights; Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
CVS Caremark Corp
Equity
Institute for Research in Biomedicine Barcelona
Professional Services and Activities
Medtronic
Equity

Merck & Co Inc.
Equity
Moderna, Inc.
Equity
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Equity
Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM)
Professional Services and Activities
Solventum Corporation
Equity
Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute
Fiduciary Role / Position
UnitedHealth Group
Equity

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].

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MSKCC NMR Analytical Core Facility

Weill Cornell Medical College Pharmacology Program

Gerstner Sloan–Kettering Graduate School

Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program

Rockefeller University Graduate School

Rockefeller University High-Throughput Screening Resource Center

Weill Cornell Medical College Cell Screening Core Facility