Dr. Kevin Struhl stands as a preeminent figure in molecular biology whose career has significantly shaped our understanding of gene regulation mechanisms. He currently holds the distinguished position of David Wesley Gaiser Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, where he has maintained a vibrant research program since joining the faculty in 1982. Born in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 1952, Struhl completed his undergraduate and master's studies in biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974 under the mentorship of Boris Magasanik. He subsequently earned his Ph.D. from Stanford Medical School in 1979 working with Ronald W. Davis, followed by postdoctoral training with Nobel laureate Sydney Brenner at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.
Dr. Struhl's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced our knowledge of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, initially using yeast as a model organism before expanding to human cancer systems. His laboratory has made seminal contributions to understanding how DNA-binding activators and repressors interact with the general transcription machinery and chromatin modifying activities to regulate gene expression in response to environmental cues. Through innovative integration of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and genomic approaches, his work has elucidated the relationship between transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and chromatin structure, including mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance. His research has also yielded practical applications, including patents for inducible methods for repressing gene function that have advanced experimental techniques in molecular biology.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Struhl has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the scientific community through organizing major conferences such as the FASEB meeting on Transcriptional Regulation and the Keystone meeting on Transcriptional Regulation. He serves on numerous advisory boards including the Klarman Cell Observatory at the Broad Institute and has provided guidance to biotechnology companies including Sangamo Inc. for over fifteen years. His current research continues to push boundaries with projects investigating the epigenetic switch from non-transformed to transformed cells, molecular pathways of cancer stem cell formation, and testing metformin as a potential anti-cancer therapeutic. Dr. Struhl remains at the forefront of molecular biology, mentoring the next generation of scientists while pursuing transformative discoveries that bridge fundamental mechanisms with clinical applications in cancer biology.
