Grembecka/Cierpicki Lab

Home Jolanta Grembecka Tomasz Cierpicki Lab Projects Publications Lab Members Positions Available Lab News

Mar 2026

Our paper describing discovery of Ziftomenib (KO-539) has been published in Blood!

Nov 2025

FDA approves menin inhibitor Ziftomenib (KO-539), which was developed in collaboration with Kura Oncology

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2024

Results of KOMET-001 with Ziftomenib published in Lancet Oncology

 

2020-2025

Many good things happened here ...

 

Oct 2020

Combination of menin and FLT3 inhibitors is very effective in AML models. Read in Blood. Featured on the cover!

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Aug 2020

We published first in class NSD1 inhibitors in Nature Chemical Biology. Highlighted in Nature Reviews in Drug Discovery.

July 2020

Here is our review on epigenetic protein-protein interactions with Brian as first author

Jan 2020

We reported MI-3454, a very potent menin inhibitor. See our JCI paper.

 

# news not updated 

 

Jan 2016
We published paper "Property focused structure-based optimization of small molecule inhibitors of the protein-protein interaction between menin and Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL)" in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Featured on the cover!

Nov 2015
We determined structure of ZMIZ1 TPR domain and published paper in collaboration with Mark Chiang: The PIAS-like Coactivator Zmiz1 Is a Direct and Selective Cofactor of Notch1 in T Cell Development and Leukemia. Published in Immunity.

Aug 2015
Our manuscript "Two loops undergoing concerted dynamics regulate activity of the ASH1L histone methyltransferase" has been published in Biochemistry.

Our study "Rational design of orthogonal multipolar interactions with fluorine in protein-ligand complexes" has been published in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, selected as Editor's choice.

July 2015
Felicia Gray defended her PhD thesis: "Dissecting Bmi1 protein-protein interactions through chemical biology". Congratulations Felicia!


June 2015

We have published study demonstrating that menin-MLL inhibitors block activity of MLL fusion proteins in a mechanism independent on fusion partner. Published in Leukemia.

May 2015
George Lund defended his PhD dissertation: "Targeting CDC25B-CDK2/CyclinA Activity Using Chemical Biology Approaches".

Congratulations George!

 

April 2015
Our menin-MLL inhibitor program has been featured as cover story in BioCentury Innovations

Dr. Chinnaiyan's lab discovered role of menin and demonstrated efficacy of menin inhibitors in castrate resistant prostate cancer. Study published in Nature Medicine.

 

March 2015
Our team work resulted in development of potent inhibitors of menin-MLL interaction with strong efficacy in animal models of leukemia. Published in Cancer Cell

We have licensed menin-MLL inhibitors to Kura Oncology for further development.

 

Feb 2015
Jola is co-author on study to develop small molecule inhibitors of CBFB-SMMHC: "A small-molecule inhibitor of the aberrant transcription factor CBFβ-SMMHC delays leukemia in mice" published in Science.

Jan 2015
We published review Targeting protein–protein interactions in hematologic malignancies: still a challenge or a great opportunity for future therapies? in Immunological Reviews

Dec 2014
Our study Inhibition of CDC25B Phosphatase Through Disruption of Protein-Protein Interaction has been published in ACS Chemical Biology.

Nov 17, 2014
Jola has been elected to the University of Michigan Medical School "League of Research Excellence". Congratulations to Jola!

 

Oct 2014
Our study "The same site on LEDGF IBD domain represents therapeutic target for MLL leukemia and HIV" has been published in Blood. 


Apr 21, 2014
George's publication "Solution NMR studies reveal no global flexibility in the catalytic domain of CDC25B" has been published in the journal Proteins.

Congratulations to George!

Our review "Challenges and opportunities in targeting the menin-MLL interaction" has been published in Future Medicinal Chemistry

 

Lab Members

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Want to Join?

Our Lab - As of July 2026


Graduate Students

 
 
 
 

Geoff Hewett

PCB

ghewett@umich.edu

Sydney Musser

MCP

smusser@umich.edu

 

 Josh Ray

PCB

joshmray@umich.edu

Julio Guaman

PCB

jcguaman@umich.edu

 

Postdoctoral Fellows

 
 
 
 

Haiqing He

paal@umich.edu

 Kibum Kim

aaa@umich.edu

 Chao Ding

ddd@umich.edu

 ddd 

ddd@umich.edu

 
 
 
 

 aaa

Research Fellow
shuali@umich.edu

aaa

Research Fellow
dymytril@umich.edu

 aaa

Research Fellow
jihos@umich.edu

aaa

Research Fellow
yiwuyao@umich.edu

 

Research Associates

 
 
 
 
 

Hongzhi Miao

hzmiao@umich.edu

Trupta Purohit

tpurohit@umich.edu

Dong Chen

dochen@umich.edu

Se Ra Park
serap@umich.edu

Sergei Zari szari@umich.edu