Catherine E. Costello, PhD

William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Catherine Costello came to Boston University in 1994. That year she established the Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry, which has become an internationally recognized research center. She holds her primary appointment in the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Biochemistry & Cell Biology Department, with secondary appointments in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics and the Department of Chemistry. Her research, which focuses on determining the structures and functions of biologically important polymers, has revolutionized an important area of biochemistry by providing insights into the structures of molecules responsible for human disease. She is the author or co-author of more than 400 scientific papers, serves on a number of advisory boards and editorial boards of major journals, and has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2009 Thomson Medal from the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation (IMSF), the 2010 Field and Franklin Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the 2017 Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), the three highest honors in her field. She is a Fellow of the ACS and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has served as President of IMSF, ASMS, and the Human Proteome Organization.

Publications

  • Published 7/28/2026

    Sepulveda GP, Nawalaniec K, Nikorich I, Guschanskaia ES, Mora-Martin A, Esse R, Ceballos A, Xia C, Kwan J, Blum BC, Emili A, Cardamone MD, Perissi V, Costello CE, Grishok A. Proteolytic activation of c-MYC facilitated by DOT1L. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Aug 04; 123(31):e2525603123. PMID: 42520114.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/25/2026

    Knox HL, Arbour CA, Xia C, Costello CE, Imperiali B, Allen KN. Glycoconjugate diversification in Campylobacter concisus is determined by two glycosyltransferases. bioRxiv. 2026 May 25. PMID: 42244766.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/29/2025

    Sebastiani P, Reed E, Chandler KB, Lopez P, Lords H, Bae H, Costello CE, Au M, Deng LL, Li M, Xiang Q, Noh H, Pflieger L, Funk C, Rappaport N, Nygaard M, Short MI, Brent M, Monti S, Andersen SL, Perls TT. A Robust Serum Proteomic Signature of the E2 Allele of Apolipoprotein E. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2026 Jan; 13(4):e09764. PMID: 41316897.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/6/2025

    Dohadwala S, Shah P, Farrell MK, Politch JA, Marathe J, Costello CE, Anderson DJ. Sialidases derived from Gardnerella vaginalis and Prevotella timonensis remodel the sperm glycocalyx and impair sperm function. Glycobiology. 2025 Nov 06; 35(11). PMID: 41165775.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/28/2025

    Sebastiani P, Reed E, Chandler KB, Lopez P, Lords H, Bae H, Costello CE, Au M, Deng LL, Li M, Xiang Q, Noh H, Pflieger L, Funk C, Rappaport N, Nygaard M, Short MI, Brent M, Monti S, Andersen SL, Perls TT. Robust Serum Proteomic Signatures of APOE2. bioRxiv. 2025 May 28. PMID: 40501769.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 482 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Professor, Chemistry
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Research Professor, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Director, Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Amyloidosis Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Georgetown University, PhD
  • Georgetown University, MS
  • Emmanuel College, AB

View all profiles