Bob Lazarus

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

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

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.

Dual functionality of -tryptase protomers as both proteases and cofactors in the active tetramer

Journal of Biological Chemistry, ISSN: 1083351X 00219258

Henry Maun; Peter S. Liu; Yvonne Franke; Charles Eigenbrot; William F. Forrest; Lawrence B. Schwartz; Bob Lazarus

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Bob Lazarus

Principal Scientist, Early Discovery Biochemistry

Featured Publication