Research

Focus areas of the Wright Lab

The lab is organized around three interconnected lines of inquiry that together aim to map the molecular logic of cellular signaling in disease.

1. Proximity interaction networks

We map the protein communities that assemble around disease regulators inside living cells, with a focus on the androgen receptor and other signaling hubs in prostate cancer.

Schematic of three prostate-cancer signaling hubs (nuclear receptors, cell-death machinery at the mitochondria, and GPCRs) that are proximity-labeled and converge into a high-dimensional proximal map pointing to candidate druggable targets

2. Novel proximity enzymes

We have engineered a suite of bifunctional proximity-labeling enzymes that capture post-translational modifications in space and time so specific PTMs can be globally annotated in complex protein mixtures to facilitate the resolution of signal-mediated PTMs spatially and temporally in cells and tissues.

Schematic of a bifunctional enzyme (an affinity domain fused to a proximity ligase) that recognizes a post-translational modification, biotinylates the substrate, and enables denaturing streptavidin capture and MS/MS, with a legend of capturable PTMs

3. Reagents & methods for cell biology

We optimize the reagents and assays, from CRISPR to in situ proximity ligation and imaging, that let us screen and functionally validate proximal interactions in cells.

Schematic of reagents (CRISPR, UnFold proximity ligation assay, and fluorescence microscopy) that converge on high-throughput screening and in situ functional validation of proximal interactomes