Isabelle Zawadzki

• CDT Doctoral Researcher Supervisor: Steven Cobb
• Email: isabelle.g.morris@durham.ac.uk
• Project Title: The Design and Synthesis of CCL2 Targeting PROTACS

Institution: Durham University

Project summary: CCL2 is a chemokine expressed in a variety of diseases (such as autoimmune, inflammatory and cancer) and represents a promising therapeutic target. Diketopiperazines (DKPs) are selective inhibitors of CCL2 mediated chemotaxis but have insufficient binding affinity to act as viable CCL2 inhibitor drugs. To overcome this, a library of DKP-based PROTACS that would enable targeted protein degradation of CCL2, will be designed and synthesised.

Interesting fact: I love Breaking Bad and have watched the whole series four times (my favourite character is Huell).