Ella Haefner

Year Entered MSTP: 2022

Prior Education

College:	Grinnell College
Degree:	BS, Biological Chemistry

Student Information

Mentor(s)	Baker, David PhD Faculty Website »
Primary Department	Biochemistry

Current Research

Recyclable Lysosome-Targeting Therapeutics

Ella develops next-generation lysosome-targeting chimeras designed for efficient, repeatable degradation of disease-causing proteins. By exploiting pH differences within cellular compartments, her designs release targets intracellularly and recycle for multiple rounds of activity. Computational protein design enables precise control over binding and release. This strategy improves both the efficiency and longevity of targeted protein degradation platforms.