Ahmad (Mo) Khalil, MCB professor and the Hok Lam and Kathleen Kam Wong Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), has received an NIH Director’s Pioneer Award to develop a new technology that could transform how scientists study proteins and their roles in health and disease.
Inspired by CRISPR’s ability to systematically investigate gene function, Khalil and his team aim to develop a comparable approach for studying proteins. Using synthetic biology and continuous evolution, they will engineer specialized nanobodies that can lock proteins into specific functional states, allowing researchers to precisely manipulate their activity and study how proteins interact within cells.
The team will initially focus on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of proteins involved in cell signaling and immune responses. By mapping how networks of these receptors work together, the researchers hope to uncover new ways to treat diseases such as cancer by targeting multiple receptors rather than individual proteins.
“I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity this award gives us to pursue a truly ambitious scientific vision,” said Khalil. “Inspired by the transformative impact of CRISPR on the study of genes, we’re asking whether a technology — powered by synthetic biology and continuous evolution — can enable us to systematically perturb and map the functions of proteins, starting with the remarkable family of G protein-coupled receptors.”
Khalil emphasized the collaborative effort behind the project. “This is a bold challenge, and one that grew from the ideas and expertise of a remarkable team of scientists in my lab who came together around a shared vision. To me, that’s what makes this award so special: it recognizes not just a scientific idea, but the collective creativity and collaborative effort of that team that made it possible.”
Read more about Khalil’s Pioneer Award and research in Harvard SEAS News.
