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RAS Research Teams

The RAS Initiative is composed of nine highly collaborative teams that are based out of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR). Each team supports and augments the work of the others and connects to external RAS researchers across the world. 

Our teams use cutting edge technologies to study RAS, and they develop and adapt assays and screens to find new drug candidates that can be confidently assessed. 

Learn about each team’s progress, projects, and tools, and meet the team members and collaborators who are contributing to this breaking research. 

  • Coiled strands of red, blue, and light blue RAS-RAF membranes

    Biochemistry & Biophysics Research

    Our team evaluates new approaches to target KRAS and collaborates with other teams to screen new molecules for their inhibitory activity towards KRAS. Our assays characterize the interaction between RAS proteins and their regulators and effectors in solution or on the membrane.

  • Computer-generated chart of a curved red bar with red hashes

    Bioinformatics Research

    Our team provides data processing and analytical support by processing, mining, and analyzing. Our tools organize and interpret data generated across the RAS Initiative, and they analyze imports of “big data” from public repositories, all with a focus on genes in the RAS pathway.

  • Test tubes and scientific glassware with a periodic table

    Chemistry Research

    Our team drives medicinal chemistry efforts for drug discovery projects throughout the RAS Initiative. We are involved in the design, synthesis, and characterization of small molecules for use as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of RAS-driven cancers.

  • Ligand and receptor from a crystal structure

    Computational Chemistry Research

    Our team informs drug discovery by using computers to perform large-scale screens of hundreds of millions—soon to be billions—of molecules. We are highly collaborative and support wet lab teams within the RAS Initiative.

  • Illustration of interlocking gray, orange, and blue coils

    Drug Screening and Preclinical Research

    Our team seeks to discover and develop compounds that directly target oncogenic RAS proteins. We use disulfide tethering technology as a fragment-based screening method to find novel cryptic and potentially druggable pockets in RAS or small GTPases.

  • Map of KRAS4b mobility in a 16 by 16-micron region of the membrane of a HeLa cell

    Imaging Research

    Our team develops and applies new optical microscopy techniques to understand how RAS molecules move, interact, and signal in living cells. From our imaging, we develop assays to screen for disruption and mislocalization of RAS proteins and complexes.

  • Dr. Robert D’Ippolito working with the RAS Mass Spec Team

    Mass Spectrometry Research

    Our team employs cutting-edge protein analysis methods to better understand and target canonical RAS isoforms, RAS-related proteins, and RAS-dependent signaling pathways.

  • Triptych of a double helix, RAS mutations, and a crystal structure

    Reagents Research

    Our team develops and evaluates new technologies for producing novel DNA, cell line, and protein reagents. We share our developments with teams throughout the RAS Initiative and make them available to external scientists who study RAS and the RAS pathway.

  • Illustration of RBD and CRD binding to an active KRAS-RAF1 complex

    Structural Biology Research

    Our team uses a combination of biochemical, structural, and cell biological techniques to study RAS signaling and enable drug development via structure-based drug design to target RAS directly or indirectly.

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