Dr Elena De Vita
Lecturer in Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Bio
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Drug discovery, Covalent inhibitors, Induced proximity, PHOSTACs, Protein phopshatases
Interests
My research involves the development of novel chemical compounds that can help understanding and treating cancer and other debilitating diseases. The use of advanced in vitro models is therefore essential to bring these compounds forward into the drug discovery pipeline.Publications
2025
Advances in selective targeting of serine hydrolases: A targeted covalent approach against hCES2A mitigates irinotecan toxicity in vivoDe Vita E
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Elsevier vol. 15 (10), 5491-5492.
01-10-2025
The phosphate of lifeDe Vita E, Page R
Nature Chemistry, Springer Nature vol. 17 (3), 460-460.
01-03-2025
2024
What is chemical biology?Antolin AA, Aye Y, Bar-Peled L, De Vita E, Dudkina N, Jewett MC, Kiely-Collins H, Mazitschek R et al.
Cell Chemical Biology, Elsevier vol. 31 (9), 1562-1565.
01-09-2024
Structure-Guided Design and Optimization of Covalent VHL-Targeted Sulfonyl Fluoride PROTACsShah RR, De Vita E, Sathyamurthi PS, Conole D, Zhang X, Fellows E, Dickinson ER, Fleites CM et al.
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, American Chemical Society (Acs) vol. 67 (6), 4641-4654.
13-03-2024
2022
A KLK6 Activity-Based Probe Reveals a Role for KLK6 Activity in Pancreatic Cancer Cell InvasionZhang L, Lovell S, De Vita E, Jagtap PKA, Lucy D, Grocin AG, Kjær S, Borg A et al.
Journal of The American Chemical Society, American Chemical Society (Acs) vol. 144 (49), 22493-22504.
22-11-2022
Identification of the first structurally validated covalent ligands of the small GTPase RAB27AJamshidiha M, Lanyon-Hogg T, Sutherell CL, Craven GB, Tersa M, De Vita E, Brustur D, Pérez-Dorado I et al.
Rsc Medicinal Chemistry, Royal Society of Chemistry (Rsc) vol. 13 (2), 150-155.
01-01-2022
Light-mediated multi-target protein degradation using arylazopyrazole photoswitchable PROTACs (AP-PROTACs)Zhang Q, Kounde CS, Mondal M, Greenfield JL, Baker JR, Kotelnikov S, Ignatov M, Tinworth CP et al.
Chemical Communications, Royal Society of Chemistry (Rsc) vol. 58 (78), 10933-10936.
01-01-2022
2021
Blocking Kallikrein 6 promotes developmental myelinationYoon H, Triplet EM, Simon WL, Choi C, Kleppe LS, De Vita E, Miller AK, Scarisbrick IA
Glia, Wiley vol. 70 (3), 430-450.
09-10-2021
Beyond targeted protein degradation: LD·ATTECs clear cellular lipid dropletsDe Vita E, Lucy D, Tate EW
Cell Research, Springer Nature vol. 31 (9), 945-946.
05-08-2021
A Suite of Activity-Based Probes To Dissect the KLK Activome in Drug-Resistant Prostate CancerLovell S, Zhang L, Kryza T, Neodo A, Bock N, De Vita E, Williams ED, Engelsberger E et al.
Journal of The American Chemical Society, American Chemical Society (Acs) vol. 143 (23), 8911-8924.
04-06-2021
Development of a fluorogenic ADAMTS-7 substrateSantamaria S, Buemi F, Nuti E, Cuffaro D, De Vita E, Tuccinardi T, Rossello A, Howell S et al.
Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, Taylor & Francis vol. 36 (1), 2160-2169.
01-01-2021
2020
10 years into the resurgence of covalent drugsDe Vita E
Future Medicinal Chemistry, Taylor & Francis vol. 13 (2), 193-210.
04-12-2020
The Missing Link between (Un)druggable and Degradable KRASDe Vita E, Maneiro M, Tate EW
Acs Central Science, American Chemical Society (Acs) vol. 6 (8), 1281-1284.
03-08-2020
2019
Synthesis and Structure‐Activity Relationships of N‐(4‐Benzamidino)‐Oxazolidinones: Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Kallikrein‐Related Peptidase 6De Vita E, Smits N, van den Hurk H, Beck EM, Hewitt J, Baillie G, Russell E, Pannifer A et al.
Chemmedchem, Wiley vol. 15 (1), 79-95.
18-11-2019
Design and Synthesis of Ionic Liquid‐Based Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors (MMPIs): A Simple Approach to Increase Hydrophilicity and to Develop MMPI‐Coated Gold NanoparticlesD'Andrea F, Nuti E, Becherini S, Cuffaro D, Husanu E, Camodeca C, De Vita E, Zocchi MR et al.
Chemmedchem, Wiley vol. 14 (6), 686-698.
14-02-2019
2018
Depsipeptides Featuring a Neutral P1 Are Potent Inhibitors of Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 6 with On-Target Cellular ActivityDe Vita E, Schüler P, Lovell S, Lohbeck J, Kullmann S, Rabinovich E, Sananes A, Heßling B et al.
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, American Chemical Society (Acs) vol. 61 (19), 8859-8874.
13-09-2018
A potent, proteolysis-resistant inhibitor of kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) for cancer therapy, developed by combinatorial engineeringSananes A, Cohen I, Shahar A, Hockla A, De Vita E, Miller AK, Radisky ES, Papo N
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Elsevier vol. 293 (33), 12663-12680.
22-06-2018
Rapid detection of 2-hydroxyglutarate in frozen sections of IDH mutant tumors by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometryLonguespée R, Wefers AK, De Vita E, Miller AK, Reuss DE, Wick W, Herold-Mende C, Kriegsmann M et al.
Acta Neuropathologica Communications, Springer Nature vol. 6 (1)
02-03-2018
Structure-guided design and optimization of covalent VHL-targeted sulfonyl fluoride PROTACsShah RR, De Vita E, Conole D, Sathyamurthi PS, Zhang X, Fellows E, Fleites CM, Queisser MA et al.
In Biorxiv
PROTACs, molecular glues and bifunctionals from bench to bedside: Unlocking the clinical potential of catalytic drugsManeiro M, De Vita E, Conole D, Kounde C, Zhang Q, Tate E
In Progress in Medicinal Chemistry, Elsevier 67-190.
A suite of activity-based probes to dissect the KLK activome in drug-resistant prostate cancerLovell S, Zhang L, Kryza T, Neodo A, Bock N, Williams ED, Engelsberger E, Xu C et al.
In Biorxiv
Synthesis and Structure–Activity Relationships of N-(4-Benzamidino)-Oxazolidinones–Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 6De Vita E, Smits N, van den Hurk H, Beck EM, Hewitt J, Baillie G, Russell E, Pannifer A et al.
In Chemrxiv
Grants
Development of covalent probes for protein phosphatase 1 (PP1)Elena De Vita
£11,000 Royal Society
31-03-2024 - 30-03-2026
Covalent PHOSTACs for targeted protein dephosphorylation against K-Ras driven tumoursElena De Vita
£69,401 Royal Society
01-03-2024 - 31-08-2025