Mike Cohen
@michaelnadbio.bsky.social
Chemical biologist passionate about post-translational modifications (PTMs) and a keen interest in drug development. Professor at OHSU leading a team dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of PARPs and ADP-ribosylation.
Just two more days to submit abstracts for the "PARP Family and ADP-ribosylation CSHL meeting. We have an amazing lineup of speakers. The majority of speakers are selected from abstracts. Don't miss out! meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...
The PARP Family & ADP-ribosylation
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
meetings.cshl.edu
January 15, 2026 at 4:02 AM
Just two more days to submit abstracts for the "PARP Family and ADP-ribosylation CSHL meeting. We have an amazing lineup of speakers. The majority of speakers are selected from abstracts. Don't miss out! meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...
very cool, team Balyn-congrats!
January 6, 2026 at 11:12 PM
very cool, team Balyn-congrats!
Reposted by Mike Cohen
Is arginine the new cysteine?! Check out our lab's latest in collaboration with @ianseiple.bsky.social's team where we introduce ninhydrin as a selective covalent warhead and probe targeting reactive arginines.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Ninhydrin as a covalent warhead for chemical proteomic-enabled discovery and selective engagement of reactive arginines
Covalent molecules have emerged as next-generation therapeutics and as powerful tools for perturbing fundamental biological processes. Chemical proteomic methods to screen for reactive proteinaceous a...
www.biorxiv.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Is arginine the new cysteine?! Check out our lab's latest in collaboration with @ianseiple.bsky.social's team where we introduce ninhydrin as a selective covalent warhead and probe targeting reactive arginines.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Mike Cohen
New work from my team, identifying drug targets in M. abscessus. Pre-print posted here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Chemoproteomic elucidation of β-lactam drug targets in Mycobacterium abscessus
The pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus ( Mab ) can cause severe and difficult to treat chronic lung infections. Despite the rising incidence and clinical concern of Mab infections, treatment options are...
www.biorxiv.org
December 17, 2025 at 1:15 AM
New work from my team, identifying drug targets in M. abscessus. Pre-print posted here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Looking forward to the biannual #CBP2025 conference @ohsunews.bsky.social starting this week! incredible line up of speakers, including keynotes @mbogyo.bsky.social, @christhechang.bsky.social, and Nancy Carrasco.
www.ohsu.edu/school-of-me...
www.ohsu.edu/school-of-me...
Chemical Biology and Physiology 2025 | OHSU
Chemical Biology and Physiology Conference 2025, December 11-13, 2025
www.ohsu.edu
December 7, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Looking forward to the biannual #CBP2025 conference @ohsunews.bsky.social starting this week! incredible line up of speakers, including keynotes @mbogyo.bsky.social, @christhechang.bsky.social, and Nancy Carrasco.
www.ohsu.edu/school-of-me...
www.ohsu.edu/school-of-me...
Excellent study by first author @andriigorelik.bsky.social in @ahellab.bsky.social showing how DTX2 tunes AHR transcription and stability, offering deeper insight into ADP-ribosylation–ubiquitylation crosstalk.
In our latest study we show that ligand-activated transcription factor AHR (environmental sensor) is ADP-ribosylated by PARP7. This ADP-ribose mark is recognised by the E3 ubiquitin ligase DTX2 targeting AHR for proteasomal degradation, enabling cells to rapidly shut down AHR-mediated transcription.
Ubiquitin pathway blockade reveals endogenous ADP-ribosylation marking PARP7 and AHR for degradation | The EMBO Journal
imageimageDegradation mechanisms of transcriptionally active aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)
are unclear. This work reveals that PARP7 ADP-ribosylates itself and ligand-bound
AHR, creating a recogniti...
www.embopress.org
December 2, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Excellent study by first author @andriigorelik.bsky.social in @ahellab.bsky.social showing how DTX2 tunes AHR transcription and stability, offering deeper insight into ADP-ribosylation–ubiquitylation crosstalk.
Happy to have made a small contribution during my mini-sabbatical in @ladurner.bsky.social lab!
November 13, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Happy to have made a small contribution during my mini-sabbatical in @ladurner.bsky.social lab!
They demonstrate that a common PARP1 variant (V762) shifts talazoparib from a non-retentive (Type II) to an allosteric, pro-retention (Type I) mode, thereby boosting chromatin trapping and cancer cell killing. The finding makes a strong case for genotype-guided dosing in HRD cancer therapy.
November 13, 2025 at 6:42 PM
They demonstrate that a common PARP1 variant (V762) shifts talazoparib from a non-retentive (Type II) to an allosteric, pro-retention (Type I) mode, thereby boosting chromatin trapping and cancer cell killing. The finding makes a strong case for genotype-guided dosing in HRD cancer therapy.
Talazoparib stands out for its strong potency and DNA "trapping" in certain cancers, but why this happens wasn’t clear. A new preprint from first author Jin Cai in the @ladurner.bsky.social lab, together with Ben Black’s team, address this in a new preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 13, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Talazoparib stands out for its strong potency and DNA "trapping" in certain cancers, but why this happens wasn’t clear. A new preprint from first author Jin Cai in the @ladurner.bsky.social lab, together with Ben Black’s team, address this in a new preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Agreed! This review thoughtfully and comprehensively dives into the world of HPF1. The questions at the end are on point!
Beautiful review from J. Rudolph on Histone PARylation factor 1: a review of its role in the DNA damage response url: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...
Histone PARylation factor 1: a review of its role in the DNA damage response
Abstract. Although poly-(ADP ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) and PARylation of histones have been known for over 50 years and have been successfully targeted
academic.oup.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Agreed! This review thoughtfully and comprehensively dives into the world of HPF1. The questions at the end are on point!
Reposted by Mike Cohen
Excited to share the peer-reviewed version of our work, now online in @embojournal.org! Big thanks to our reviewers and @hvodermaier.bsky.social for facilitating this process. Looking forward to continuing this fun collaboration with @michaelnadbio.bsky.social!
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
October 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Excited to share the peer-reviewed version of our work, now online in @embojournal.org! Big thanks to our reviewers and @hvodermaier.bsky.social for facilitating this process. Looking forward to continuing this fun collaboration with @michaelnadbio.bsky.social!
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Mike Cohen
My quote of the day
A Video Quote
Medical miracles don't happen overnight. You have to invest in them. Our investments are in trouble.
(From Francis Collins on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, July 16, 2025)
A Video Quote
Medical miracles don't happen overnight. You have to invest in them. Our investments are in trouble.
(From Francis Collins on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, July 16, 2025)
July 17, 2025 at 10:44 AM
My quote of the day
A Video Quote
Medical miracles don't happen overnight. You have to invest in them. Our investments are in trouble.
(From Francis Collins on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, July 16, 2025)
A Video Quote
Medical miracles don't happen overnight. You have to invest in them. Our investments are in trouble.
(From Francis Collins on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, July 16, 2025)
Reposted by Mike Cohen
'Particularly at risk is the category of basic research — the blue-sky variety meant to push back the frontiers of human knowledge and sow practical spinoffs and breakthroughs in such everyday fields as health care and artificial intelligence.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/s...
Trump Seeks to Cut Basic Scientific Research by Roughly One-Third, Report Shows
www.nytimes.com
July 13, 2025 at 8:05 AM
'Particularly at risk is the category of basic research — the blue-sky variety meant to push back the frontiers of human knowledge and sow practical spinoffs and breakthroughs in such everyday fields as health care and artificial intelligence.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/s...
Reposted by Mike Cohen
A few years back we discovered a dual hybrid protein modification composed of ADP-ribose dinucleotide and ubiquitin (ADPr-Ub). Now we reveal that ADPr-Ub can be further ubiquitinated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF114!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Identification of RNF114 as ADPr-Ub reader through non-hydrolysable ubiquitinated ADP-ribose - Nature Communications
Deltex E3s modify ADP-ribosylated targets with ubiquitin, creating a hybrid modification whose readers remains unknown. Here, the authors synthesise a non-hydrolysable probe that mimics the modificati...
www.nature.com
July 10, 2025 at 6:11 AM
A few years back we discovered a dual hybrid protein modification composed of ADP-ribose dinucleotide and ubiquitin (ADPr-Ub). Now we reveal that ADPr-Ub can be further ubiquitinated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF114!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Mike Cohen
An amazing paper from van der Heden and Ahel groups! They use clever chemistry to identify RNF114 as a dual ADP-ribose-Ubiquitin reader involved in the DNA damage response! Congratulations to first authors Max, @chatrin-c.bsky.social and Rishov. Happy to have a small contribution in this story
Identification of RNF114 as ADPr-Ub reader through non-hydrolysable ubiquitinated ADP-ribose - Nature Communications
Deltex E3s modify ADP-ribosylated targets with ubiquitin, creating a hybrid modification whose readers remains unknown. Here, the authors synthesise a non-hydrolysable probe that mimics the modificati...
www.nature.com
July 10, 2025 at 10:44 AM
An amazing paper from van der Heden and Ahel groups! They use clever chemistry to identify RNF114 as a dual ADP-ribose-Ubiquitin reader involved in the DNA damage response! Congratulations to first authors Max, @chatrin-c.bsky.social and Rishov. Happy to have a small contribution in this story
Congrats Jeremy! Well-deserved!
July 10, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Congrats Jeremy! Well-deserved!
Exciting times in the fields of ADP-ribosylation and ubiquitylation!
July 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Exciting times in the fields of ADP-ribosylation and ubiquitylation!
This paper, coupled with an exciting new paper from @ahellab.bsky.social and the Van Der Heiden Van Noort groups: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And our recent collaborative work with @jnpruneda.bsky.social team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
reveal RNF114 as a reader and writer of MARUbylation.
And our recent collaborative work with @jnpruneda.bsky.social team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
reveal RNF114 as a reader and writer of MARUbylation.
July 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
This paper, coupled with an exciting new paper from @ahellab.bsky.social and the Van Der Heiden Van Noort groups: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And our recent collaborative work with @jnpruneda.bsky.social team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
reveal RNF114 as a reader and writer of MARUbylation.
And our recent collaborative work with @jnpruneda.bsky.social team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
reveal RNF114 as a reader and writer of MARUbylation.
Cool new paper from Matic lab showing that MARUbylation occurs on serines in response to DNA damage.
Our latest study on ADP-ribosyl-linked serine ubiquitylation in the context of PARP1 signaling and the DNA damage response is out today in Nature Chemical Biology www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Serine ADPr on histones and PARP1 is a cellular target of ester-linked ubiquitylation - Nature Chemical Biology
RNF114 is an E3 ligase that can recognize ADP-ribose (ADPr) and ubiquitin with separate domains. Using these domains, Kolvenbach and Palumbieri et al. developed a proteomics approach to map ADP-ribosy...
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Cool new paper from Matic lab showing that MARUbylation occurs on serines in response to DNA damage.
Check out this story about my OHSU colleague’s work describing a previously unknown critical neurological function for dystroglycan with important implication for neuromuscular disease.
July 7, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Check out this story about my OHSU colleague’s work describing a previously unknown critical neurological function for dystroglycan with important implication for neuromuscular disease.
Check out this great review on the fascinating field of renal interoception by our newest faculty member, @rose-hill.bsky.social!
Our review on kidney sensory innervation is out! It was such an honor to write about all the amazing work from my colleagues in this growing field of renal interoception. Yay kidneys! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
July 3, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Check out this great review on the fascinating field of renal interoception by our newest faculty member, @rose-hill.bsky.social!
Very cool finding, Matt. Congrats!
June 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Very cool finding, Matt. Congrats!
💯 👇!
Despite ~20 years in/around #chembio research, I went to my first Bioorganic GRC this week. This community is amazing and so supportive. I feel energized (and tired, lol) and find myself rooting for the next generation of chemical biologists. Sooooo much awesome science - We can’t/won’t be stopped!
June 22, 2025 at 6:01 PM
💯 👇!
Great seeing both of you!
June 20, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Great seeing both of you!