Profile
Abstract
My research is focused on molecular recognition in biocatalysis, enzyme inhibition and signal transduction. We study the interaction of ligands and proteins via X-ray crystallography, binding assays, kinetics as well as biophysical and spectroscopic techniques. A main aim is to characterize the molecular principles of interaction leading to specificity, catalysis as well as conformational changes such as domain motions. This information is used to understand the mode of action of enzymes, receptors and other proteins and also to apply it to structure-based rational design of novel biocatalysts and pharmacologically relevant protein inhibitors. In addition to experimental methods, computational tools are a key method to rationalize structure-function relationships as well as for enzyme or inhibitor design.
Professional career
- 06/1991 - 03/1994
Doctoral studies with Prof. Bernt Krebs at University of Münster, GermanyDr. rer. nat, University of Münster (“Crystal structure analysis of a purple acid phosphatase” - 04/1994 - 03/1997
Postdoc with Prof. William N. Lipscomb, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.Topic: Structural studies on chorismate mutase and leucine aminopeptidase - 04/1997 - 04/2002
Habilitation (“Dinuclear Metallohydrolases”) and venia legendi in Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Advisor: Prof. Wolfram SaengerTopic: Dinuclear metallohydrolases - since 05/2002
Full professor (C4) for Structure Analysis of Biopolymers, Leipzig University - 10/2006 - 10/2016
Director of the Institute of Bioanalytical Chemistry, Leipzig University
Education
- 10/1986 - 05/1991
Chemistry (Diploma) studies at University of Münster, Germany
Panel Memberships
- 06/2002 - 06/2009
Mitglied im Vorstand des Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinischen Zentrums - 03/2009 - 03/2015
Member of the executive board of the German Crystallographic Association - since 06/2012
Member of the Commission on Biological Macromolecules of the International Union of Crystallography - since 06/2012
Member of editorial board (co-editor) of Acta Crystallographica Section F - 10/2012 - 10/2016
Head of the administrative panel for doctoral studies of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy - 10/2013 - 10/2016
Vice Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy - 10/2016 - 10/2019
Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy
- Molecular recognition in substrate and ligand specificity
- Protein structure analysis, X-ray crystallography
- Extracellular signalling, Purinergic signalling
- Enzyme mechanism and biocatalysis, Dinuclear metallohydrolases
- Structure based drug design