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Prof. Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger

Prof. Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger

Professor

Biochemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry
Institutsgebäude
Brüderstraße 34, Room 2-312
04103 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97 - 36901
Fax: +49 341 97 - 36909

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Abstract

Annette G. Beck-Sickinger is Professor of Biochemistry and Bioorganic Chemistry at the Faculty of Life Sciences. She is member of the Saxon Academy of Science, the German National Academy Leopoldina, the Göttingen Academy of Science and DFG Senate. Since 2020 she is spokesperson of the SFB1423 "Structural dynamics of GPCR activation and signaling".

She has received numerous awards: Leonidas Zervas Award of the EPS (1998), Gold Medal of the Max Bergmann Circle (2009), Saxon Order of Merit (2017), Du Vigneaud Award of the APS (2019), Richard Willstätter Prize for Chemical Biology (2023) and the IUPAC Award: Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering (2023).

Her major research fields are structure-activity-relationships of peptide and protein ligands activating GPCRs and protein modification to study molecular interactions. The range of methods includes bioorganic synthesis, molecular biology tools, cloning, receptor mutagenesis, protein expression and cell biochemistry.

Professional career

  • 06/2009 - 10/2009
    Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
  • since 07/2000
    Member of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Leipzig University
  • since 08/1999
    Full Professor (C4) of Bioorganic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences at Leipzig University
  • 01/1997 - 07/1999
    Assistant Professor, Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, Department of Applied Chemistry, Switzerland
  • 01/1992 - 12/1992
    Research Fellow at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark (T. W. Schwartz)
  • 07/1990 - 12/1991
    Postdoctoral Fellow, ETH Zürich, Laboratory of Biochemistry, Switzerland (E. Carafoli)
  • 01/1988 - 10/1988
    Research Stay at Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation, La Jolla, USA (R. A. Houghten)

Education

  • 11/1989 - 10/1995
    Habilitation and venia legendi in Biochemistry, University of Tübingen
  • 11/1986 - 10/1989
    Dissertation in Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen
  • 10/1982 - 10/1990
    Studies and Final Degree in Biology, University of Tübingen
  • 10/1980 - 10/1986
    Studies and Final Degree in Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen

Panel Memberships

  • since 07/2021
    Member of the DFG Senate
  • since 01/2021
    Member of the Academy of Science, Göttingen
  • since 01/2020
    Speaker of the CRC 1423: Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling (DFG)
  • 01/2019 - 03/2021
    President of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM)
  • 01/2017 - 01/2023
    Member of the Board of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM); Vice President 2017-2019 and 2021-2023
  • 01/2015 - 01/2023
    Member of the Senate Board of Evaluation of the Leibnitz Foundation
  • since 01/2013
    Member of the Board of the CRC 1052: Obesity Mechanisms (DFG)
  • since 01/2012
    Member of the University Council (Hochschulrat) Leipzig, since 2018 vice speaker
  • since 01/2012
    Member of the German National Academy of Science, Leopoldina
  • 01/2012 - 12/2018
    Member of the German Council of Science and Humanities(Wissenschaftsrat)
  • 01/2011 - 03/2021
    Member of the University Council (Universitätsrat) University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, speaker 2018-2021
  • 07/2009 - 12/2021
    Member of the Board of the CRC-TR67 and Chair of the Graduate Programm “Matrix Engineering”
  • since 01/2012
    Member of the German National Academy of Science, Leopoldina
  • since 01/2009
    Member of the Saxonian Academy of Sciences
  • since 01/2009
    Member of the Advisory Board of the Mercator Foundation
  • since 01/2008
    Member of the „Kuratorium des Fonds der Chemischen Industrie“ (FCI)
  • since 01/2013
    Coordinator of the Leipzig-Vanderbilt Max Kade Foundation Program to support international exchange with Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
  • 01/2002 - 12/2012
    Speaker of the CRC 610 „Variation in Protein Conformation: Cell biological and Pathological Relevance“ (DFG)

Her major research fields are structure-activity-relationships of peptide and protein ligands activating G protein coupled receptors and protein modification to study molecular interactions. A tight connection of chemical methods, bioorganic synthesis and molecular biology tools, including cloning, receptor mutagenesis, protein expression and cell biochemistry is applied. Whereas in the first field, her interests go towards medicinal chemistry, identification of novel targets and novel therapeutic concepts e. g. in the field of cancer and obesity, the second field is related to biomaterials, novel approaches to modify proteins and concepts for improved drug delivery.

  • SFB 1423: Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette
    Duration: 01/2020 – ongoing
    Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: SFB 1423: Strukturelle Dynamik der GPCR-Aktivierung und Signaltransduktion; Medizinische Fakultät und Universitätsklinikum AöR; Bioinformatik; Institut für Biochemie; Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Pharmazeutische Chemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum; Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Bioinformatik (IZBI); Rudolf-Schönheimer-Institut für Biochemie; Lehrstuhl für Molekulare Biochemie (Medizin); Rudolf-Boehm-Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie; Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik; Synthetische Proteinbiochemie
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  • SFB 1052/A03: Targeting of central peptide receptors via nasal ligand application to modulate food intake
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette
    Duration: 07/2021 – 12/2024
    Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Medizinische Fakultät und Universitätsklinikum AöR; SFB 1052: Mechanismen der Adipositas
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  • Structure Elucidation of the Neuropeptide Y5 Receptor- Relevant in Food intake and Cancer
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette
    Duration: 05/2022 – 04/2025
    Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie
    show details

more projects

  • Andere herausragende Auszeichnungen: IUPAC Award: Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette (Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie)
    awarded in 2023.
    show details
  • Andere herausragende Auszeichnungen: Richard-Willstätter-Award for Chemical Biology
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette (Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie)
    awarded in 2023.
    show details
  • Andere Ehrungen: Member of the Academy of Sciences, Göttingen
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette (Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie)
    awarded in 2021.
    show details
  • Andere herausragende Auszeichnungen: Chemistry Europe Fellow Award
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette (Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie)
    awarded in 2019.
    show details
  • Andere herausragende Auszeichnungen: Du Vigneaud Award
    Beck-Sickinger, Annette (Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie)
    awarded in 2019 by American Peptide Society.
    show details

more awards

  • Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    Projet émergent TRAIL INNOVATHER
    Start Date of Collaboration: 01/10/2017
    Ended on: 30/09/2020
    Involved persons: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Morgat, Clement
    show details
  • Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Institut für Biochemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    Gastrointestinal peptides in obesity
    Start Date of Collaboration: 01/01/2015
    External participating organisations: King's College London (London, United Kingdom); University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark)
    Involved persons: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Cox, H. M.; Schwartz, Thue W.
    show details
  • Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Institut für Biochemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    Vanderbilt-Leipzig Collaboration: International Student and Research Exchange Programme
    Start Date of Collaboration: 01/01/2009
    External participating organisations: Vanderbilt University (Nashville, United States)
    Involved persons: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Meiler, Jens; Albrecht, Anett
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  • Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Institut für Biochemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    GPCR/arrestin interaction
    External participating organisations: Vanderbilt University (Nashville, United States)
    Involved persons: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Gurevich, Vsevolod V.
    show details
  • Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Institut für Biochemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    Small Molecule Probes to investigate Structure and Funktion of Y-Receptors
    External participating organisations: Vanderbilt University (Nashville, United States)
    Involved persons: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Meiler, Jens
    show details

more cooperations

  • Internationale Tagung
    4GPCRnet 2022
    Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Universität Leipzig; Medizinische Fakultät und Universitätsklinikum AöR
    Event Organiser: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Bock, Andreas; Liebscher, Ines; Albrecht, Anett
    26/09/2022 – 29/09/2022
    show details
  • Internationale Tagung
    34. Europäisches und 8. internationales Peptidsymposium
    Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Institut für Biochemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    Event Organiser: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Albrecht, Anett
    04/09/2016 – 09/09/2016
    show details
  • Internationale Tagung
    11. Internationales NPY-PYY-PP Symposium
    Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie; Institut für Biochemie; Biotechnologisch-Biomedizinisches Zentrum (BBZ)
    Event Organiser: Beck-Sickinger, Annette; Albrecht, Anett
    22/08/2015 – 26/08/2015
    show details
  • Konferenz
    13th Akabori Conference 2010. Japanese-German Symposium on Peptide Science
    Biochemie/Bioorganische Chemie
    Event Organiser: Beck-Sickinger, Annette
    10/09/2010 – 14/09/2010
    show details

more events

  • Modul "Receptor Biochemistry and Signal Transduction"

  • Modul "Protein Chemistry/ Enzymology"

  • Modul "Bioorganic Chemistry"

  • Modul "Fundamentals of Biochemistry"

  • Journalclub: Discussion of current biochemical publications

  • Modul "Scientific work and theoretical course"

Research fields

Biochemistry

Contact for media inquiries

Fax: +49 341 97-39909
Phone: +49 341 97-36901