Bio-X Graduate Student Fellow

Awarded in 2008
Home Department: Bioengineering
Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Cochran (Bioengineering)

Research Title: Combinatorial and Rational Approaches to Engineering Receptor-Based Antagonists of the Gas6/Axl System

Research Description: Directed evolution is a powerful method that can be used to engineer proteins for therapeutic applications. Using this method, Mihalis is engineering proteins to target and inhibit receptors on the cancer cell surface that are crucial for cell growth and survival. The engineered proteins also hold potential to disrupt critical signaling pathways important for disease progression. As such, they have potential value as targeted therapeutics agents as well as diagnostic imaging probes.

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Mihalis is the Director of Antibody Discovery and Protein Engineering at Denali Therapeutics.