Prof. James Fraser

James Fraser studied Biology as an undergraduate at McGill University. His Ph.D. work at UC Berkeley under Dr. Tom Alber focused on the relationship between protein conformational dynamics and enzymatic catalysis. He moved to UCSF in 2011 as an independent fellow. Currently, Professor Fraser is Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. His work spans across various disciplines, including structural biology, deep mutational scanning, and protein engineering. Fraser is also known for his commitment to open science and serves on the board of ASAPbio.

The SARS CoV 2 Macrodomain and how to inhibit it

The nonstructural protein 3 (NSP3) macrodomain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Mac1) removes adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ribosylation posttranslational modifications, playing a key role in the immune evasion capabilities of the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Starting from a collaborative X-ray-based fragment screen, multiple computational strategies and structure-based design has facilitated the development of potent inhibitors.