Chemical Biology Program

The Yael David Lab

Research

Yael David, PhD

Research efforts in the David lab apply core techniques in chemical biology, biochemistry, and cell biology to address fundamental questions in the epigenetic regulation of transcription. Epigenetic regulation relies on the dynamic modification of the two building blocks of chromatin: DNA and histone packaging proteins, to establish and maintain cell identity and fate. We develop and utilize chemical methods to synthesize site-specifically modified histones in vitro and in vivo and study the roles that these modifications play in disease states, with the ultimate goal of targeting them for therapeutics.

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Go inside the lab of Yael David from SKI’s Chemical Biology Program

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Featured News

MSK chemical biologist Yael David in her laboratory

At Work: Chemical Biologist Yael David

Meet Yael David, a chemical biologist with an interest in epigenetics.

In the Lab

Cellular “Garbage Collectors” Are Key to Cancer’s Growth

A new study suggests a way to target cancer by interfering with its system of waste removal.

Publications Highlights

Prescott NA, Mansisidor A, Bram Y, Lemmon AA, Lim C, Risca VI, Schwartz RE, David Y. A nucleosome switch primes Hepatitis B Virus infection, bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.03.03.531011. Cell,. in press.

Zheng Q, Bastle RM, Zhao S, Kong L, Vostal L, Ramakrishnan A, Shen L, Fulton SL, Wang H, Zhang B, Upad A, Dierdorff L, Thompson RE, Molina H, Stransky S, Sidoli S, Muir TW, Li H, David Y#, Maze I#. Histone monoaminylation dynamics are regulated by a single enzyme and promote neural rhythmicity. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.06.519310. Nature.. 2025 Jan;637(8047):974-982. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08371-3. Epub 2025 Jan 8. PMID: 39779849

Agustinus A,…David Y#, Bakhoum S#. Epigenetic dysregulation from chromosomal transit in micronuclei. Nature. 2023 Jul;619(7968):176-183. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06084-7. Epub 2023 Jun 7

Zheng Q, Omans ND, Leicher R, Osunsade A, Agustinus AS, Finkin-Groner E, D’Ambrosio H, Liu B, Chandarlapaty S, Liu S, David Y. Reversible histone glycation is associated with disease-related changes in chromatin architecture. Nat Commun. 2019 Mar 20;10(1):1289. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09192-z

Osunsade A, Prescott NA, Hebert JM, Ray DM and David Y. A Robust Method for the Purification and Characterization of the Human Histone H1 Variants. Biochemistry. 2018 Dec 26. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01060.

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People

Yael David, PhD

Yael David’s lab develops and applies methods in chemical biology toward studying epigenetic regulation and its correlation with disease states.
Ph.D – The Weizmann Institute of Science
B.Sc SUNY Stony Brook

davidshy@mskcc.org: Email Address
646-888-2127: Office Phone
Download CV: PDF File

Members

Yael David

Assistant Member

Brittney Bobowski

WCM Pharmacology Graduate Student

Michal Tsouros

Administrative Assistant

Nicole Walker

TPCB Graduate student

Yang Xiao

TPCB Graduate student

Hannah D'Ambrosio

Research Assistant

Albert Agustinus

Research Technician

Ifeh Akano

WCM Pharmacology Graduate Student

Sarah Faulkner

Research Fellow

Efrat Finkin

Research Associate

Jakob Hebert

TPCB Graduate Student

Igor Maksimovic

TPCB Graduate Student

Nathaniel Omans

Rotation Student

Adewola Osunsade

TPCB Graduate Student

Rasmus Pihl

Research Fellow

Nicholas Prescott

TPCB Graduate Student

Devin Ray

TPCB Graduate Student

Akhil Upad

Research Technician

Qingfei Zheng

Research Fellow

Achievements

Josie Robertson Investigator (2016-2021)
Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Alliance Award
Experimental Therapeutic Discovery Center grant
Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) Award
CEBRA award

Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Award
Star Cancer Consortium grant
The Center for Educational Resources Project Collaborative Grant
National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant

Open Positions

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Graduate Students & Post-Doctoral Fellows

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Disclosures

Members of the MSK Community often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community. These activities outside of MSK further our mission, provide productive collaborations, and promote the practical application of scientific discoveries.

MSK requires doctors, faculty members, and leaders to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public. Not all disclosed interests and relationships present conflicts of interest. MSK reviews all disclosed interests and relationships to assess whether a conflict of interest exists and whether formal COI management is needed.

Yael David discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2024 through disclosure submission in spring 2025). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.

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