Front Row lecture series
Close encounters: Designing drugs that recruit the cell’s own machinery to fight cancer and beyond
Michael Erb, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
4:00 p.m. PT | 7:00 p.m. ET
Some of the most devastating diseases are driven by proteins that cannot be targeted with conventional drugs. Scientists are now discovering ways to control disease by recruiting the cell’s own machinery to tackle this challenge. In this free Front Row lecture, Associate Professor Michael Erb takes the audience inside the cell to explain how his team is developing “proximity” drugs. Erb’s innovation has implications to change how scientists and cells join forces to fight against breast, prostate and blood cancers. Join us to learn how proximity drugs can eliminate proteins, rewire essential cellular pathways, and enable researchers to target previously “undruggable” proteins.
Presented: May 20, 2026
Key Takeaways
Some of the most devastating diseases are driven by proteins that cannot be targeted with conventional drugs. Scientists are now discovering ways to control disease by recruiting the cell’s own machinery to tackle this challenge. In this free Front Row lecture, Associate Professor Michael Erb takes the audience inside the cell to explain how his team is developing “proximity” drugs. Erb’s innovation has implications to change how scientists and cells join forces to fight against breast, prostate and blood cancers. Join us to learn how proximity drugs can eliminate proteins, rewire essential cellular pathways, and enable researchers to target previously “undruggable” proteins.
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