We all got this really sad news earlier today: Professor Tony Pawson of Mount SInai has died.

http://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2013/08/08/renowned_toronto_genetic_researcher_dr_tony_pawson_dies.html

Tony was one of the titans in the field of cell signalling and, in fact, one of the founders of this field. My own interest in pursuing disrupters of protein-protein interactions was, to a large extent, based on my interactions with Tony. Over the past three years Tony, Shawn Li, Jeff Wrana, and I have shared an ORF grant aimed at finding specific protein domain ligands. We will dearly miss Tony and his insights.

I am certain that my lab and I will take his legacy as an inspiration to go forward and continue pursuing science at the chemistry/biology interface. Ironically, today (as part of my sabbatical work at SGC) we got our second protein crystal (thanks a lot to Elena and Aiping, again!!!) and this is one of the ones Tony was really keen on. Below are the views and the crystal structure that shows (in yellow) the two aromatic cages that recognize lysine-containing fragments. We will remember Tony dearly and will work tirelessly toward some of the common goals we have shared…