Michael Kofler

Michael Kofler is an Adjunct Scientist in the lab of Dr. Andras Kapus at the Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Science of St. Michael’s Hospital.

Dr. Kofler received his PhD from the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany for the characterization of GYF protein adaptor domains in the lab of Dr. Christian Freund. Adaptor domains are building blocks found in many signaling proteins that mediate interactions with other proteins. These interactions lay the foundation for accurate cellular responses to extracellular signals. At the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, Dr. Kofler completed his postdoctoral fellowship with the late Dr. Tony Pawson where he studied the activation mechanism of the FES tyrosine kinase through its SH2 adaptor domain. Over-activation of tyrosine kinases is a common cause of cancer.

Dr. Kofler joined the lab of Dr. Andras Kapus to identify the mechanisms underlying the nuclear import, and consequently activation, of the transcriptional coactivators Yap and TAZ. Yap/TAZ drive the expression of genetic programs that are important for development, growth, and regeneration. Inappropriate activation of these coactivators are the cause of fibrosis and cancer. Currently, Dr. Kofler focuses on novel aspects of Yap/TAZ functions that are relevant to innate immunity and rely on transcription-independent functions of these molecules. He, as a part of this common endeavor, develops molecular probes for high throughput imaging to study these novel functions. This platform will also be utilized to identify Yap/TAZ inhibitors with the focus on improving broad antiviral responses.