Scientists / Our Scientists

Bob Lazarus

Senior Principal Scientist, Early Discovery Biochemistry

Postdoc Mentor

"Genentech is an incredibly exciting place to work. I love the opportunity to tackle complex biochemical, biological and medical problems in a multidisciplinary environment where I can collaborate with expert scientists with such diverse backgrounds. Great science, great people."

Years at Genentech

Publications at Genentech

Awards & Honors

I started working at Genentech in Jan 1983 after my PhD and postdoctoral studies in bioorganic chemistry and mechanistic enzymology at Penn State. I initially worked on biocatalysis projects (e.g. bioconversion of glucose to vitamin C), then transitioned to GP IIbIIIa antagonists from naturally occurring proteins as platelet aggregation inhibitors. Proteases, DNases, protein-protein interactions, peptide and protein scaffolds and protein engineering technologies to interrogate key biological pathways with activators or inhibitors have been my core areas of research. I have focused on serine proteases, pseudo-proteases and other targets using protein/peptide structure-function and allosteric regulation, generating both activators and inhibitors using both molecular and diversity approaches within a multidisciplinary group generating tools for drug development in diverse biological areas.

Postdoctoral Mentor

I have had the great privilege to mentor many talented postdoctoral fellows and students during my career at Genentech. I really enjoy the opportunity to work with them as they take on their research projects, unleashing their creativity and enthusiasm and going on to successful careers. They have a tremendous opportunity to work both independently and collaboratively and expand their knowledge and awareness of important biological problems as they interface across diverse disciplines.

Featured Publication

An allosteric switch for pro-HGF/Met signaling using zymogen activator peptides

Nature Chemical Biology 2014 [1552-4450]

Landgraf, Kyle E; Steffek, Micah; Quan, Clifford; Tom, Jeffrey; Yu, Christine; Santell, Lydia; Maun, Henry R; Eigenbrot, Charles; Lazarus, Robert A

View Abstract on PubMed

My lab works on fundamental and applied aspects of protein engineering in order to investigate molecular, biochemical and biological aspects of protein/protein and protein/ligand interactions. My goal is to understand biochemical and biological mechanisms and to develop specific agonists or antagonists as tools for specific intervention in the biological pathway of interest. I have particular interests in studying allosteric enzyme inhibitors and exosites as alternatives to traditional inhibitors and active sites.

General areas of interest include characterization of proteins involved in various pathways of cancer biology and inflammation, infectious disease, neurobiology, serine proteases and pseudo-proteases, deoxyribonucleases, and application of diversity technologies such as phage display. My lab utilizes peptides, proteins and protein scaffolds as molecular tools and various technologies to study these interactions. Some of the specific proteins of interest include Tryptase, HGF/Met, DNase I, BACE1, MSP/RON, Hedgehog/Hhip, and Factor VIIa.

Bivalent antibody pliers inhibit β-tryptase by an allosteric mechanism dependent on the IgG hinge

Nature Communications, ISSN: 20411723

Henry R. Maun; Rajesh Vij; Benjamin T. Walters; Ashley Morando; Janet Jackman; Ping Wu; Alberto Estevez; Xiaocheng Chen; Yvonne Franke; Michael T. Lipari; Dennis; Daniel Kirchhofer; Claudio Ciferri; Kelly M. Loyet; Tangsheng Yi; Eigenbrot; Lazarus; James T. Koerber

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Bob Lazarus

Senior Principal Scientist, Early Discovery Biochemistry

Featured Publication

An allosteric switch for pro-HGF/Met signaling using zymogen activator peptides