Decoding Chromatin and Cell Fate with Chemical Precision using CUT&Tag

About the Webinar:

Chromatin structure and epigenetic regulation are not solely enzyme-driven – they are also shaped by the intrinsic chemistry of the cell. A new layer of gene regulation is emerging, driven by metabolic byproducts, chemical reactivity, and non-canonical chromatin states.

Join us for an upcoming webinar featuring Dr. Yael David (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) as she leverages CUTANA™ CUT&Tag to map histone glycation within T cells during activation and further explore how these chemical and metabolic forces reshape chromatin structure and function, revealing new principles of epigenetic regulation across canonical and non-canonical contexts.

Using chemical biology tools including synthetic histones, engineered nucleosomes, small-molecule probes, and selective inhibitors, Dr. David’s lab is uncovering how metabolic–epigenetic coupling drives chromatin remodeling, transcriptional outcomes, and cell identity, including:

• How gene regulation operates within non-canonical chromatin environments, including infection and genomic instability
• The impact of metabolic stress, including hyperglycemia, on T cell dysfunction
• The role of histone glycation in exhaustion-associated T cell transcription program
• Novel chemical strategies to engineer metabolically resilient CAR-T cells

About The Presenter:

Dr. David is an Associate Member of the Chemical Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine. She earned her B.Sc. in Biology, Summa Cum Laude, from SUNY Stony Brook and her PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where she trained as a biochemist and cell biologist, studying the mechanisms and regulation of protein polyubiquitination under the supervision of Ami Navon. Her drive for interdisciplinary research led her to Princeton University’s Chemistry Department, where she conducted her postdoctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Tom Muir and developed groundbreaking tools for the mechanistic study of histone post-translational modifications. cells, has enabled research at the intersection of chemical precision and physiological relevance.

Since joining MSKCC in 2016, Dr. David has continued to push the boundaries of scientific discovery. Her lab focuses on developing cutting-edge chemical tools that have uncovered new classes of histone modifications, directly linking metabolism to cell fate and shedding light on the role of epigenetic regulation in non-canonical chromatin structures. Her group has also pioneered the mechanistic interrogation of non-canonical chromatin structures, including micronuclei, exosomes and viral chromosomes, revealing how chromatin regulation operates in these atypical genomic environments.

Finally, her lab uncovered unexpected functional roles for linker histone H1 in regulating chromatin and genome integrity. Dr. David's pioneering work has earned her national and international recognition, including accolades such as the American Chemical Society’s "Future of Biochemistry," the "Rising Star in Chemical Protein Synthesis," and the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Award, among many others. Her research is supported by prestigious funding from organizations like the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, the Alfred Sloan Research Foundation, the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Alliance, Pfizer and the NIH/NIGMS Outstanding Young Investigator Award (MIRA).