Catherine Drennan

Catherine Drennan is a Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, affiliated with the Department of Biology. She is also an Investigator and Professor at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research focuses on the structure and function of medically important enzymes, particularly metalloproteins, using techniques such as X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. She is interested in the role of conformational changes in catalytic processes. Her work includes studies on enzymes involved in environmental remediation and metalloprotein biochemistry.

Catherine Drennan is a Professor of Biology and Chemistry at MIT and an HHMI Investigator. Her research focuses on Biochemistry, Structural Biology, and Biorganic Chemistry, with an emphasis on understanding the molecular mechanisms of enzyme action and metalloprotein function. Her work includes elucidating the structures of enzymes involved in cofactor biosynthesis, radical generation, and metal ion-dependent regulation. By combining structural and biochemical approaches, she investigates how proteins interact with cofactors such as B12 and how these interactions drive biological processes. Her studies also explore the structural basis of gene regulation and the role of metal ions in enzyme activity.