Ben Neel

A sad day for science, thank you Dr. Venter!!

@HartungIngo @CraigMCrews @ArvinasInc Congrats to all at Arvinas! Proud to be a member of their Sab!

It‘s time to remove the question mark! A huge congrats to @CraigMCrews, Ray Deshaies and the scientists @ArvinasInc. 1st FDA approval for a #PROTAC on May 1st 2026. A day to remember. Extra drinks at the Proxidrugs GRC in a few weeks!

Warning: anyone traveling to Germany and needing train tix, DONT USE RAILCLICK or German rails. Their website is confusing and if you make a mistake and notice within two minutes, you are out of luck-they won’t change them and they won’t refund them. It’s a vitu scam! Beware!

Congratulations to Scripps Research Professor Benjamin Cravatt on being named the 2026 laureate of the Emanuel Merck Lectureship (@EMDGroup), which recognizes his pioneering work in chemical biology, particularly in reactive proteomics and activity-based protein profiling (ABPP). More: ow.ly/4tpU50YQRWm

Having worked at both of the companies that developed this medicine, I can say that it is a great example of both academic and industrial research being leveraged over a long timeline into benefits for patients in fighting a cruel, untreatable disease. Greg Verdine originally developed the idea at his Harvard lab and then his team developed it further into a proof of concept (“molecular glues”) at Warp Drive Bio in Cambridge. The idea was to take a naturally occurring protein, have a small molecule bind to it, and then use the other face of the molecule to sequester a cancer protein called KRAS which is overexpressed in a variety of cancers, effectively so that the small molecule acted as a glue between the two proteins and took them out of circulation. This was the “discovery” part. Then Revolution Medicines in Redwood City acquired Warp Drive Bio, and took the drug to the finish line by improving its properties like solubility and metabolic stability and making sure it was effective and safe. This was the “development” part and involved a lot of animal and human studies. The whole thing was spread out across two companies which leveraged their unique strengths, hundreds of scientists and employees and more than 15 years of research and development. It makes as strong a case as any for sustained long-term funding of both academic and industrial research.

@wgibson @Aiims1742 This is absolutely true. The fundamental discovery is Greg’s.

RevMed just doubled overall survival in pancreatic cancer by using CypA-targeting molecular glues to potently drug oncogenic KRAS-ON, long deemed untouchable. One funny thing is that probably the most fundamental insight for daraxonrasib sits in a PNAS paper that's been cited merely 84 times. This showed that molecular glues can coax an endogenous protein to wrap itself around utterly featureless surface. The other is a 2017 Cell Reports paper (just 68 citations) on how Sanglifehrin A can be used to repurpose CypA's surface. A lot of the game-changing stuff seems niche and unglamorous at first. Greg Verdine is having a chembio Annus Mirabilis for his 2025-2026 streak: FOG-001, Daraxonrasib. He provided much of the foundational conceptual work behind taking out both Beta-catenin and KRAS*. *of course many others contributed immensely, but let's give some credit where credit is due!

Congratulations to our Senior Scientists, Drs. Hansen He and Cheryl Arrowsmith for receiving AACR Scientific Achievement Awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to cancer research. #AACR26

@Vilcek This is terribly sad. Marica was a wonderful person who had a great impact, not least of course on. Jan.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved cofounder Marica Vilcek (1936–2026). Known widely in the New York City community and beyond as an insightful art historian and tireless philanthropist, Marica died peacefully on Monday, March 23, 2026, at her home in New York at the age of 89. Learn more about Marica's legacy: vilcek.co/4d0ppWx

We celebrate the life of Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop, whose discovery of oncogenes transformed our understanding of cancer. At @theNCI, we see his legacy in today’s progress—advancing research based on oncogenes that continues to change and save lives nobelprize.org/prizes/medicin…

Celebrating a life of scientific achievement. Mike Bishop’s contributions to our understanding of cancer & his leadership of UCSF as 8th Chancellor made a massive difference. This pic is when he handed off to me as 9th Chancellor. RIP

Drugs that inhibit KRAS signaling delay the development of pancreatic cancer in mice. Learn more in a new #SciencePerspective: scim.ag/4lt021C

Some exciting news tonight just published @TheLancetInfDis our @TexasChildrens @BCM_TropMed @GWSMHS hookworm anemia vaccine is showing high levels of protective immunity in human phase 2 clinical trials, nearly 100% reduction in hookworm, a project of decades thelancet.com/journals/lanin…

@PeterHotez Dr. Hotez, We, as a society, need you so very much. What you have done to help others is beyond belief. You are always trying to keep us informed, protect us, and keep us as healthly as possible. Thank you for just being you. Please stay safe. ❤️

Decades ago, people lined up by the hundreds for vaccines because they had seen the diseases and understood the importance of protection. Ironically, vaccines have been so successful that many today have forgotten the danger they were designed to prevent.

@NCIDirector As father of Md/phd daughter couldn’t agree more!

In my professional life, and as a father, I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter for pursuing an MSTP. Supporting early-stage investigators and physician-scientists is essential to the future of cancer research. The future of medicine is stronger with women in science. #WHM26

@PMResearch_UHN @UHN @UHN_Research Congrats Aaron!

🎉Congratulations to our Director of Research, Senior Scientist and Staff Physician Dr. Aaron Schimmer on being elected to the Association of American Physicians, for his breakthrough research in AML biology!

@NCIDirector @Olympics Great story. When does she skate?

Proud dad moment: my daughter Julie is at the @Olympics competing in speed skating. The persistence and unwavering dedication it takes to reach this level is extraordinary. You've got this! 🇺🇸 nbcolympics.com/news/how-julie…