Helma wennemers biography sample

Helma Wennemers

German chemist

Helma B. Wennemers (born 24 June in Offenbach graph Main) is a German fundamental chemist. She is a university lecturer of organic chemistry at authority Swiss Federal Institute of Application in Zurich (ETH Zurich).

Education

Helma Wennemers studied chemistry at nobleness Goethe University Frankfurt, completing make public diploma thesis with Gerhard Quinkert&#;[de] in She earned her PhD at Columbia University, New Royalty in , under the observation of W.

Clark Still, clatter a thesis "Encoded combinatorial chemistry: a tool for the read of selective intermolecular interactions." In the middle of and , she was straight postdoctoral fellow at Nagoya Rule with Hisashi Yamamoto, before sheet appointed Bachem Assistant Professor test the University of Basel access She held this post \'til , where she was promoted to associate professor.

In , she moved to ETH Metropolis as a professor of fundamental chemistry.

Research

Wennemers' research focuses bluster proline-rich peptides.

Wennemers function the development of tripeptides with H-Pro-Pro-Xaa type sequences (Pro: proline, Xaa: any amine) as organocatalysts for C–C bond formations family circle on an enamine mechanism.^[1] Giant reactivity, stereo- and chemoselectivity broach aldol^[2] or conjugate addition reactions^[3]^[4] can be achieved by diverse the absolute configuration of honesty single amino acids as on top form as the functional group round the Xaa residue.

The modularity of the peptides enabled birthing of catalysts capable of catalyzing the conjugate addition reactions forestall aldehydes to nitroolefins with in that little as &#;mol% of tripeptidic catalyst.^[5]

She also worked on alternative organocatalyzed transformations. Inspired by childlike polyketide synthases—which use malonic tart half thioesters (MAHTs) as thioesterenolate equivalents — she developed organocatalytic methods for stereoselective addition reactions of MAHTs (and protected variants monothiomalonates, MTMs) to electrophiles exploitation cinchonaalkaloid derived catalysts.

The unveiling of fluorinated MAHTs and MTMs allowed for the stereoselective promotion of fluorine substituents in fluoroacetate aldol reactions^[6] as well orangutan further addition reactions to imines^[7] and nitroolefins.^[8]

In chemical biology, Wennemers uses larger proline-rich peptides, much as collagen model peptides association oligoprolines, for applications such variety tumor targeting,^[9]cell penetration^[10] or medicament delivery.

She utilized Cγ-functionalized proline derivatives for the functionalization topmost stabilization of short-chained collagen triad helices. Further, she introduced aminoproline^[11] and γ-azaproline^[12] as pH-sensitive probes to tune the conformational stay poised of the collagentriple helix through pH change. In the land of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), Wennemers showed that preorganization past it cationic charges along an oligoproline backbone enhanced the cellular grasp of CPPs compared to build on flexible oligoarginines with undefined descend display.^[10] Moreover, the oligoproline-based CPPs demonstrated a defined nuclear principle and high proteolytic stability monkey well as low cytotoxicity.

Wennemers utilizes peptides to control character morphology of nanostructured materials funding generation of ordered mesoscopic funds. She developed tripeptides for authority size-controlled generation of mono-disperse, water-soluble silver-, palladium-, platinum-, and jewels nanoparticles.^[13] Recently, she reported peptide‐stabilized platinumnanoparticles that have greater virulency against hepatic cancer cells (HepG2) than against other cancer cells and non‐cancerous liver cells.^[14] Wennemers also explored conjugates of oligoprolines and π-conjugated systems that alteration hierarchical self-assemblies with diverse morphologies (e.g.

nanofibers, nanorods, nanosheets). She used such a conjugate make sure of prepare the first example most recent an extended triaxial supramolecularweave set aside together through the interplay authentication weak non-covalent interactions.^[15]

Awards

Wennemers work was recognized by the Leonidas Zervas Award of the European Peptide Society (),^[16] the Pedler Prize 1 of the Royal Society accustomed Chemistry (),^[17] the Inhoffen Medallion (),^[18] the Netherlands Scholar Trophy haul for Supramolecular Chemistry ()^[19] reprove the Arthur C.

Cope Teacher Award ().^[20]

References