Summary:

Kevan M. Shokat is Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley (UCB), and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). In this episode of Back of the Napkin reveals the pivotal moments and influences that have shaped his career as an academic and an entrepreneur.

The conversation takes us from Kevan's early interest in chemistry, spurred by his childhood experiences in his parents' print shop, to the present day, where his laboratory at UCSF is pushing the boundaries of what was once deemed impossible in targeting key oncogenes. Listeners will discover the compelling story of a scientist whose relentless quest has been to break down fantastical goals into attainable, logical steps. This episode not only captures Kevan's intellectual odyssey but also underscores the power of interdisciplinary thinking and steadfast perseverance in unraveling nature's deepest mysteries.

Key Takeaways:

• Kevan Shokat's career has been a blend of chemistry and biology, aiming to tackle problems that were once thought to be impossible, such as targeting “undruggable” proteins.
• A pivotal moment in Kevan's research was the realization that kinases, which were his early focus, had significant implications in cancer therapy, particularly with the approval of drugs like Gleevec.
• The discovery of a pocket in the KRAS G12C mutant protein led to the development of targeted drugs, revolutionizing the approach to treating certain cancers.
• Kevan attributes his success to his methodical breakdown of complex problems into doable steps, a technique he learned from his graduate advisor, Peter Schultz.
• Collaboration is central to Kevan's work, whether it's within his own research team or with other experts in various fields, indicating the interdisciplinary nature of modern scientific inquiry.