Brian C. Grabiner
Co-discovered GATOR1, the GAP complex that switches mTORC1 off when amino acids run short
Whitehead Institute · MIT Dept. of Biology · Biogen · now Senior Principal Scientist, Valo Health
Sabatini Lab, Whitehead Institute / MIT (HHMI) ↗
Helped identify GATOR1 (BAR2013) — a GAP for the Rag GTPases; mutated in cancers, making tumors hypersensitive to rapamycin. Led follow-up (GRA2014) cataloguing cancer-associated MTOR mutations that hyperactivate the kinase and predict rapamycin sensitivity.
Moved into industry: Biogen (lipid transport, Alzheimer's biology), now Valo Health (AI-driven drug discovery).
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | M | A Tumor suppressor complex with GAP activity for the Rag GTPases that signal amino acid sufficiency to mTORC1 BAR2013 GATOR1 is a GAP shutting Rag GTPases (and mTORC1) off when amino acids run low. |
| 2014 | M | A diverse array of cancer-associated MTOR mutations are hyperactivating and can predict rapamycin sensitivity GRA2014 Cancer-associated MTOR mutations are hyperactivating and predict rapamycin sensitivity. |