Dr. Karen Anderson

Biography

Karen S. Anderson is a Professor of Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine, specializing in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. She is involved in teaching undergraduates and graduate students about drug discovery and structure-based drug design, serving as an undergraduate research mentor and advisor. Her research focuses on mechanistic enzymology and aims to develop new drug therapies by understanding the molecular mechanisms of enzymes that are critical in diseases such as cancer and AIDS. She has trained numerous students at various levels, many of whom have transitioned to successful careers in academia and industry. Dr. Anderson's ongoing studies investigate enzyme targets for therapeutic development, including KDO8P synthase and thymidylate synthase-dihydrofolate reductase, as well as molecular mechanisms of protein signaling in cancer treatment. Her work also addresses HIV reverse transcriptase mechanisms to facilitate the design of effective therapeutic agents.

Research Interests