James Chen, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Chemical and Systems Biology $400,000 - Awarded 2025 |
James Chen, PhDStanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, CA About
James Chen is Professor and Chair of Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where his laboratory develops chemical tools to investigate fundamental questions in cell biology. Dr. Chen's team has pioneered the study of HIPK4 as a male contraceptive target, publishing foundational research that established this protein's essential role in sperm development. This project is a collaboration with the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Our Grant
HIPK4 is a protein kinase, a molecular switch, that is specifically expressed in developing sperm cells. Male mice lacking HIPK4 are infertile but otherwise completely healthy, suggesting that drugs targeting this protein could provide highly selective contraception without broad side effects. MCI's grant supports Dr. Chen and collaborators in developing a class of compounds called "degraders," which eliminate HIPK4 protein from sperm rather than simply blocking its activity, a strategy that may offer more complete and durable contraceptive effects, and that could require lower doses than conventional inhibitors. |
Publications
Crapster JA, Rack PG, Hellmann ZJ, Le AD, Adams CM, Leib RD, Elias JE, Perrino J, Behr B, Li Y, Lin J, Zeng H, Chen JK. HIPK4 is essential for murine spermiogenesis. Elife. 2020 Mar 12;9:e50209. doi: 10.7554/eLife.50209. PMID: 32163033; PMCID: PMC7067585.
Zerva A, Raig ND, Zhuang Z, Krämer A, Dopfer J, Togashi R, Schwalm MP, Elson L, Frischkorn JM, Berger BT, Müller S, Chen JK, Knapp S, Hanke T. Macrocyclization of Broad-Spectrum Kinase Inhibitor Bosutinib leads to Potent and Selective Quinoline-based HIPK4 Inhibitor AZ137. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Apr 24:2026.04.22.720179. doi: 10.64898/2026.04.22.720179. PMID: 42079299; PMCID: PMC13131581.
Zerva A, Raig ND, Zhuang Z, Krämer A, Dopfer J, Togashi R, Schwalm MP, Elson L, Frischkorn JM, Berger BT, Müller S, Chen JK, Knapp S, Hanke T. Macrocyclization of Broad-Spectrum Kinase Inhibitor Bosutinib leads to Potent and Selective Quinoline-based HIPK4 Inhibitor AZ137. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Apr 24:2026.04.22.720179. doi: 10.64898/2026.04.22.720179. PMID: 42079299; PMCID: PMC13131581.
Meet MCI's Grantees & Fellows!
Our grantees and fellows represent some of the finest minds in the male contraception research community from around the world.
At Male Contraceptive Initiative, we prioritize funding research that aligns with our mission of driving male contraception closer to clinical trials. We strategically allocate our resources to support a diverse range of projects, focusing on non-hormonal and reversible methods that have the potential to meet the needs of a broader population. Our goal is to catalyze progress in this field and bring innovative male birth control options to market.
Discover the innovative research being conducted by our grantees and fellows by clicking on the buttons below:
At Male Contraceptive Initiative, we prioritize funding research that aligns with our mission of driving male contraception closer to clinical trials. We strategically allocate our resources to support a diverse range of projects, focusing on non-hormonal and reversible methods that have the potential to meet the needs of a broader population. Our goal is to catalyze progress in this field and bring innovative male birth control options to market.
Discover the innovative research being conducted by our grantees and fellows by clicking on the buttons below:
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