Brett Bookser

Brett is a Principal Research Analyst, Drug Discovery for Drug Hunter. He has spent more than half of his life hunting drugs for biotechs and academic groups for diseases including cancer, infections, cystic fibrosis, CNS, metabolic, cardiovascular, and others. Starting from a sesquiterpene total synthesis organic chemistry PhD and a physical organic chemistry postdoc, he gained an early appreciation for how molecules are synthesized, and what they look like in 3D and physical property space. Brett is attracted to unusual structural motifs in drug molecules and understanding what drove chemists to use them. He is also on the lookout for small and subtle structural changes that greatly affect assay performance. Another area of curiosity is tissue specificity as a way of avoiding toxicity. Finally, Brett feels we are in a special new golden age of drug discovery with many new platforms and strategies for important disease targets. At Drug Hunter, he can dive deep into these interests and deliver insights to the community to speed drug discovery. In his free time, Brett takes long walks into cool Berkeley Hills neighborhoods with Biscuit, his indefatigable canine companion.