How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry/ Chemical Biology?

Organic chemistry caught my attention ever since I was in high school. I just loved to draw out mechanistic arrows and follow the logic behind chemical transformations. As time progressed, I saw organic chemistry more and more as a tool kit to make an impact on a higher level. That is when I also got involved with Chemical Biology and expanded my skillset to be able to push molecules from the bench to pre-clinical evaluation.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

I am currently working in a small Biotech company, Philochem AG, as a research scientist. I have always been more drawn to industry than to academia and Philochem allowed me to also do an industrial PhD before I continued as a research scientist. I am working in the field of Oncology, particularly in drug discovery and development.

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

I would often tell non-scientists that I work to develop treatments for diseases with an unmet medical need. The chemistry can often be described as cooking: sometimes following recipes and other times applying your experience and feeling to make your own unique “dishes”. The most successful “dishes” are sometimes served to mice before being served to humans. If the mouse is happy, we hope that also the human will be too.

What do you like best about your work?

I love the interdisciplinarity. It never becomes boring because I find myself routinely not only in the fume hood, but also in the cell culture, mouse house, and radiosafety laboratory. I have built a differs skillset and I am happy to apply it while assisting and training other scientists.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

I am still actively involved with chemical synthesis and validation experiments, both in vitro and in vivo. I also now have a PhD student to supervise and my responsibilities are growing along with the number of projects that I am working on/ managing.

What kind of skills does your work require?

Synthetic organic chemistry, analytical methodology, biochemistry, cell biology, animal work, immunology.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I see myself as a mentor and as a supportive function, rather than as a boss. I work side-by-side with my students when I transfer new skills and make sure that they are comfortable while learning at their own rate. I value independence a lot and always give my students agency to plan their projects. I will never micromanage and apply excessive pressure. I am always happy to discuss anything and remain open and flexible as soon as my students have questions. Regularly, the students make their plans and discuss them with me and proceed after I have given my feedback.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

The first in human study performed with OncoACP3 – a molecule that I synthesized with my own hands and shared with doctors proceeded to help many patients and change the course of their treatment. Now I am proudly supporting the development of the involving clinical programs.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

“Discovery of high-affinity ligands for prostatic acid phosphatase via DNA-encoded library screening enables targeted cancer therapy”, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. Firstly, it is my highest impact first-author paper, but most importantly, it starting to fan the flames for a revolution in prostate cancer imaging and therapy. We were brave to invest in a target that was overlooked and forgotten for many years in the small molecule field, and produced a ligand that is ready to outperform the gold standard in the clinics.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

The most important is to believe in your project and the work that you do. Motivation, drive, and curiosity are the most essential qualities, in my opinion. And it is much easier to possess them if you love what you do and are passionate about what you are working on!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to know more about your field?

It is a fast-paced environment where small details matter and speed is of the essence. You must work smart and chose which targets you invest your energy in.

Have you experienced any unfair situations during your scientific career? How would you advise scientists facing similar situations?

Before I began my Industrial PhD at Philochem AG, I was actually doing another PhD in a renowned organic chemistry group at ETH Zurich. I discontinued because my professor clearly abused his power and enforced a completely toxic work ethic. The only advice I can give is to find the strength to put your mental health first. Nothing is worth losing who you are and there are always alternatives, so be brave to escape any situation that makes you question your life choices. It is not quitting… It is self-respect and self-enabling to be the best version of yourself that you can be, without anyone holding you back or trying to change you.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

Once I was at the last step of a long synthesis and dropped my flask after the final rotavap step after purification…. Needless to say, it broke and I was scrubbing the floor with cotton swabs to try to recover as much as I could before repurifying again. The whole thing took an extra half day, but surprisingly my final yield didn’t suffer so much!

What are your recommendations for a book, podcast, website, blog, YouTube channel or film?

I have to say, I am more on the music/gaming/fitness side of things, so I am much better at giving advice in these areas. I have to say, I would recommend the following website for prospective scientists, because it has saved me quite some headaches: https://www.chem.rochester.edu/notvoodoo/

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

I have had the chance to work with and engage with various Professors, but I have to say that the one that won my unconditional admiration is Prof. Dr. Dario Neri. I am extremely lucky to be able to occasionally engage in higher level scientific discussions with Dario, as his knowledge of the field is exceptional. In additional, he is a truly great human being – very wholesome and kind. He is genuinely happy to see others succeed and support them along the way!

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

I am in Oncology because I believe that I can make a difference in areas of high unmedical need. Indeed, this hypothesis got proven to me with the ACP3 story and I have no plans of going out of Oncology. Medicinal chemistry is a powerful tool in this field as it can lead to effective ligand optimization for targeted delivery purposes.

What would you expect to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

I think it will come from the field of targeted therapy. Possibly a universal approach to extend tumor retention time (i.e., covalent warheads or other types of novel approaches). The DEL technology also holds great promise and I believe strong medicinal chemists are needed to design smart libraries to broaden the scope of targets we can access.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

During my high school years, my science and physics teachers encouraged me to take part in an extracurricular program in collaboration with the University of Florence. The project focused on the synthesis and characterization of gold and iron nanoparticles for medical applications in cancer therapy. Through this experience, I had my first exposure to organic synthesis and laboratory work with a clear connection to medicinal chemistry. It sparked my interest and I really enjoyed my time in the lab where I could combine my passion for chemistry, biology, and physics with the opportunity to contribute to improving human health. This ultimately led me to pursue a degree in Medicinal Chemistry. Since then, I have been passionate about the field.

What are your current research interests?

I am currently working as a Research Scientist in a biotech company based in Zürich, with a strong focus on cancer-targeted therapies. Unlike conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapies offer improved efficacy and selectivity, while minimizing damage to healthy tissues and reducing common side effects such as hair loss, gastrointestinal disorders, and nausea.

Building on my PhD work, I apply high-throughput technologies - specifically DNA-Encoded Libraries (DELs) - to enable the parallel synthesis and screening of compounds with pharmaceutical potential. This approach significantly accelerates the identification of new lead candidates for drug discovery.

My research interests span between medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and machine learning tools applied to the drug discovery process.

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

The primary goal of a medicinal chemist is to discover and develop new molecules with the aim of improving patient outcomes and lives. In the context of cancer therapy, this is particularly challenging, as cancer comprises a broad range of distinct diseases. It is therefore essential to understand these differences in order to design therapies that are more specific, effective, and better tolerated. This requires working at the edge of multiple intriguing fields such as chemistry, biology, and immunology. And yes, we do wear lab coats and safety goggles, but our work is far less dramatic than often portrayed… we don’t typically cause explosions or blow up the lab at the end of our experiments!

What do you like best about your work?

What I enjoy most about my work is the variety it offers: no two days are the same, and I am constantly engaged in a wide range of experiments across different areas. I also spend a significant amount of time questioning, troubleshooting, and finding solutions to the challenges that arise on a daily basis.

It is exciting to explore the scientific literature and discover how others have approached similar problems, but even more rewarding is the possibility of contributing something new, exploring questions that have not yet been answered.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

My role requires me to balance multiple responsibilities: conducting my own research, training new students and supervising and guiding their scientific projects, troubleshooting technical issues with laboratory equipment, actively participating in both scientific and non-scientific meetings and discussions, and contributing to the writing of scientific manuscripts and patents.

What kind of skills does your work require?

Above all, flexibility is essential. Scientific work often does not go as planned, and it is important to adapt to unexpected challenges with a resilient and open mindset. In addition, teamwork, strong organizational skills, and effective communication are key qualities for success in this field.

How many PhD students and postdocs do you currently supervise?

I am currently responsible for supervising one PhD student, one internship student, and one Master’s student.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I consider myself an attentive and responsible supervisor. At the beginning of a student’s research journey, I prioritize establishing a close one-to-one working relationship and dedicate time to teaching both the theoretical and practical aspects of medicinal chemistry research. I provide honest and constructive feedback and actively encourage students to share their perspectives as well. As their confidence and independence grow, I gradually give them more autonomy in their daily work, while remaining available for questions and scientific discussions to help shape the future direction of their projects. I find this stage particularly rewarding and exciting.

Are you currently looking for a new PhD student or a postdoc?

At the moment, we do not have open positions; however, at Philochem we regularly offer opportunities for PhD students and are always happy to receive strong applications from interested candidates.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

The greatest achievement of my work is seeing its direct impact on patients’ lives. At Philochem, we collaborate closely with hospitals and physicians who evaluate our molecules directly in clinical settings. Knowing that the compounds we develop can reach patients and potentially improve their outcomes is incredibly motivating and rewarding.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

The achievement I am most proud of is a manuscript currently under revision. This work originated from an idea developed jointly with a colleague, combining our respective areas of expertise and research interests in chemistry and machine learning.

Together, we conceived the concept, designed and carried out the experiments, and wrote the manuscript. Notably, we managed the entire process independently, without direct supervision, and in a field that differs from both our primary area of research. This experience was both challenging and highly rewarding, as it allowed us to step outside our usual scope and develop a project from idea to near-publication.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

You need to be passionate about the field, motivated to overcome challenges, and able to maintain a flexible mindset. In addition, it is important to be resilient and capable of handling periods of high pressure.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to know more about your field?

To speak and connect with people that are working on the field.

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?

I would be interested in asking senior medicinal chemists about their research and career journeys. I am fascinated by the diversity of backgrounds and the wide range of paths that careers (and lives) can take in this field.

Have you experienced any unfair situations during your scientific career? How would you advise scientists facing similar situations?

Unfortunately, yes. I believe it is part of the nature of research, which is inherently a competitive environment. The best way to navigate this is to take pride in your day-to-day journey and to recognize the personal and professional growth you achieve at each stage of your career. This is something that primarily depends on you and cannot be taken away by others.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

When an experiment leads to an unexpected outcome and I find myself puzzled, I tend to walk around the lab saying, “This doesn’t make any sense!” I have done this so often that my colleagues now associate the phrase with me and occasionally tease me by repeating it in unexpected situations.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

Like many female scientists, I grew up with Marie Curie as a role model.

More recently, I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Nobel Prize laureate Jennifer Doudna, whom I also found deeply inspiring. Her passion and depth of knowledge are remarkable, and it is fascinating to see how her curiosity-driven approach to scientific questions has led to breakthrough discoveries across multiple fields.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

I believe that the integration of AI tools across the different stages of drug discovery will significantly reshape the future of the field.

What would you expect to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

I believe that targeted therapies (i.e., gene therapy) are becoming a breakthrough in modern medicine. The possibility of developing drugs that specifically address an individual patient’s disease holds enormous potential. At the same time, this progress brings new challenges from a pharmaceutical industry perspective.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

My original interest was in organic chemistry; during my undergraduate years I worked on novel supramolecular catalysts. Later, however, I became fascinated by the idea that carefully designed molecules could one day become drugs, which motivated me to pursue a PhD project in the field of medicinal chemistry. This curiosity naturally led me toward chemical biology, which I see as bridging the gap between organic chemistry and biological entitites. Following this line, what especially excites me today is the development of antibody–drug conjugates: the possibility of treating cancer with such precision and selectivity is remarkable.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

I am conducting my postdoctoral research at the HUN-REN Medicinal Chemistry Research Group in Budapest, under the supervision of Prof. György M. Keser''.chr('369').''. My work focuses on covalent target discovery, library design and development of innovative warhead chemistries. In parallel, I am applying these approaches to the development of new chemical methods suitable for the preparation of antibody–drug conjugates.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I obtained my Master’s degree in pharmacy at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. During my studies, I was fascinated by the fact, that a small chemical compound can target the underlying mechanisms of a disease and restore the balance in the complex cellular environment. Drug design seemed like a form of art to me. I also loved both organic chemistry and pharmacology, so I realized that medicinal chemistry was the perfect place for me. I could work in the interface of different disciplines and contribute to the discovery of a drug that could help patients. 

So, then I decided to pursue a PhD in medicinal chemistry with my mentors Prof. Nicole Pouli, Prof. Panagiotis Marakos and Prof. Emmanuel Mikros at University of Athens. I worked on the discovery of novel substituted purine isosters as anti-cancer agents, focusing on kinase inhibitors. In addition, I worked on a separate project for the development of chemical tools to study fungal nucleobase transporters. During my PhD, I developed synthetic skills, especially for heterocyclic compounds and learned the principles of drug discovery.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

After finishing my PhD, I decided to move abroad for my postdoc, in order to broaden my horizons and obtain new skills. In 2019, I joined Prof. Caroline Springer’s group at the Drug Discovery Unit of Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute. I loved being in a multidisciplinary environment, surrounded by experienced scientists in all aspects of drug discovery. In this ‘industrial-like’ setting, I gained expertise in all stages of a modern campaign, from hit generation, to lead identification and optimization. I worked on two kinase inhibition projects for oncology indications, with the prospect of nominating a clinical candidate, and I experienced all the challenges that a medicinal chemist faces, when trying to optimize the overall profile of a series.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I've always been fascinated by medical and pharmaceutical sciences since I was a child, as my father is a doctor. When it came time to choose a university, the Faculty of Pharmacy immediately appealed to me. I loved its courses, and during my final year, my professor of Medicinal Chemistry truly inspired me. I did my thesis with him, and that's how my journey in Medicinal Chemistry began.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I obtained my PhD in 2018 at the University of Bari, in southern Italy, after spending a research period abroad at CIQUS in Santiago de Compostela, where I worked with Prof. Eddy Sotelo. My PhD project focused on the use of bioisosteric replacements to optimize lead compounds and develop novel pharmacological agents for cancer and other major therapeutic areas. The work centered on three key examples: discovery and optimization of antiproliferative agents derived from a first series of biphenyl anilides showing inhibition of the P-gp pump, where we thoroughly investigated their mechanism of action; optimization of selective antagonists of the A3 adenosine receptor, for which we also explored their binding mode through computational studies; and optimization of A2b receptor antagonists, synthesized via the Biginelli multicomponent reaction. This last approach enabled us to generate hundreds of compounds, establish a detailed SAR profile for this class, and rationalize the enantio-specific interaction of the scaffold. Where did you have your postdoc position? I had my postdoc position at the CIQUS Centre in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Where are you currently working, and what is your current position?

I’m the Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Celtarys Research, a biotech start-up located in Santiago de Compostela. We have patented a technology that allows us to assemble highly complex molecular architectures convergently. We have been widely applying it to the development of fluorescent ligands, building a portfolio of GPCR fluorescent ligands. Additionally, we offer customized development projects for targets that currently lack commercially available fluorescent tools or for designing next-generation assays. We also participate in funded projects where we contribute to developing innovative concepts for screening assays and diagnostic tools.

What do you like best about your work?

The opportunity to be creative every time a collaborator or customer presents a problem to be solved. I love proposing innovative and effective solutions. Even better is when the solution works—it’s incredibly satisfying! So, I’d say the combination of creativity and the gratification is what I enjoy most.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

I wear many hats, but all are related to science! My tasks include marketing activities and identifying new customers and projects, collaborating and securing funding for research projects, selecting and managing researchers for my scientific team, and overseeing all projects. I also prepare publications based on our results and coordinate the various activities within scientific projects.

How many PhD students and postdocs do you currently supervise?

I supervise one PhD student as part of an industrial PhD project in collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela...and yes, we are always looking for new PhD students.

I believe the best way to teach is to trust. I assign tasks that help the student develop new skills. I am highly involved and enthusiastic about our work, fostering a collaborative and inspiring environment. I prioritize building strong relationships and creating a safe and peaceful space for productive work

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

Developing the technology we patented and founding our own biotech company.

Which of your papers are you most proud of, and why?

Every paper I’ve authored has its own story, and I’m proud of each one. They span not only medicinal chemistry but also other fields like metabolomics, analytics, and catalysis. If I had to highlight a few, I would mention the paper on the development of A2b antagonists (J. Med. Chem. 2021, 64, 1, 458–480). It provides a comprehensive SAR analysis and was instrumental in understanding the A2b receptor's binding pocket, which had not been crystallized until 2022.

Another key paper is on the development of A2b fluorescent agents to demonstrate their involvement in cancer (Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 153, September 2022, 113408). This work combined cutting-edge chemistry and biology, contributing to our understanding of the receptor's role in disease.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

A lot of passion, determination, and eagerness to learn. Being open to mobility is also crucial. During a PhD, it's important to work in different laboratories to develop your own scientific personality. This is something I experienced personally, and I am very satisfied with the outcome. Follow science communication pages, regulatory agencies (especially European ones), and take advantage of the many online seminars available, which are often open to everyone.

Have you experienced any unfair situations during your scientific career? How would you advise scientists facing similar situations?

Yes, I believe this happens to everyone to some degree. You might encounter people who are open to collaboration and others who are not, thinking that your success diminishes their own. This attitude harms science. My advice: don’t get discouraged or nervous, continue doing your work, and seek out new laboratories and places to grow. Remember, these kinds of people represent only a small minority of the scientific community.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g., explosions?

During my visiting period in Santiago, after completing a 10-step synthetic pathway and finally obtaining a gram of the precursor compound for the final step, I accidentally dropped the vial, and it shattered on the floor. More than embarrassing, it was nervewracking—I started sweating and trembling at the thought of having to redo everything from scratch. Luckily, the postdoc supervising me in the lab, whom we can call Saint Johnny, helped me and managed to recover it. Another time was worse, though—a classic lab mistake: the reaction flask detached from the rotary evaporator, and water from the rota entered the flask. I lost the entire product.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

As a woman, I deeply admire all female scientists who paved the way for women in science and academia. Great examples for me are Marie Curie and Margherita Hack.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

Green Chemistry in Drug Development. Sustainable practices in medicinal chemistry are gaining traction to reduce the environmental impact of drug development.

What would you expect to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

Real-time drug screening technologies that allow for direct observation of drug-target interactions within living systems. This would greatly enhance the efficiency of drug discovery, providing unprecedented insights into how compounds behave in complex biological environments, and accelerating the path to effective therapies

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry? 

I got into Medicinal Chemistry through a happy accident. I wanted to study biotechnology, hoping to learn genetic engineering. I chose Biotechnology program at Warsaw University of Technology, which was given by three faculties. I chose the Faculty of Chemistry, and soon learned two things: firstly, that the Biotechnology program at my new university is in fact organic synthesis and pharmaceutical biocatalysis program with a fancy name. Secondly, that synthetic organic chemistry, especially when applied to designing bioactive molecules, is much more appealing to me than genetic engineering!

I obtained my MSc in 2004 and my PhD in 2008, at Warsaw University of Technology (Poland), under the supervision of Prof. Ryszard Ostaszewski. For my postdoc position I joined the University of Groningen, first in biocatalysis and then in synthetic organic chemistry, working with Prof. Dick Janssen and Prof. Ben Feringa. And after working at Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, followed by the Medical Imaging Center of University Medical Center Groningen, I am about to come back to Medicinal Chemistry, taking a professorship position at the Groningen Research Institute for Pharmacy in July 2023.

What are your current research interests?

My group is developing the methods and applications of photopharmacology – a relatively new field that designs, synthesizes, and evaluates drugs whose activity can be controlled with light. Light is a fascinating control element: it is very clean (photons can “do” chemistry – break, form and isomerize chemical bonds – but they do not contaminate the object you study), it can be delivered with unprecedented precision in space (even sub-cellular) and time, and – what is becoming increasingly important for us – it comes in different colours!

What do you like best about your work?

That it combines basic concepts (photochemistry, quantum chemistry) with clinical applications. When I explain our work to students of the Medical Faculty, we go through the whole Jablonski diagram and look at the clinical applications of the very fundamental processes in it – and students really enjoy it.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I truly hope to come across as someone that the students can trust. The world of academia is not always a simple and easy place to work, and having a supervisor you can completely rely on (and I was always lucky to work with such people) is very important.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I started my career with an apprenticeship as a chemical lab technician at Ciba Specialty Chemicals. After a few years working in industry, I then obtained a Bachelors and Masters in Chemistry from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and the University of Basel, respectively. While being interested and trained as an organic chemist, I have always been extremely passionate about the application of chemistry within the health sciences. Therefore, for my PhD I have specialised in Medicinal Chemistry as I want my research to contribute to improving health within our society.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I have obtained my PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Monash University in 2014. My PhD focused on the development adenosine A_2A receptor antagonists, dopamine D₂ receptor agonists and dual acting ligands for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

I stayed at Monash University for my postdoc and worked in the group of Professor Peter Scammells, where I worked on the development of allosteric and bitopic ligands targeting muscarinic and adenosine receptors.

What are your current research interests?

My research interests are in the development of novel chemical probes to improve our understanding of proteins on a molecular level, and to address important questions in molecular biology related to the structure, activation, degradation, oligomerisation, allostery and selectivity of selected drug targets. 

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

We currently lack crucial insights into the function of cells and how they perform the billions of chemical reactions that keep us functioning each day, allowing us to sleep, breathe, move about, and stay healthy. While atoms and molecules are known to play a central role in this functioning, further chemical biology studies are needed to improve our understanding of vital processes within cells. My work is aimed to provide a better understanding of these chemical reactions within the body and use this information to develop better drugs.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

My duties include running a medicinal chemistry lab, overseeing research projects, supervising students, preparing lectures, teaching, attending meetings as well as writing papers and applying for grants.

What do you like best about your work?

The biggest privilege is working with students on research projects. It combines two aspects that I am most excited about in my job 1) realising research ideas, and 2) teaching, working with and learning from the next generation of great minds. 

Are you currently looking for a new PhD student or a postdoc?

My group currently consist of 5 PhD, 2 master’s and 1 Honours students. I am always interested in expanding my group with talented and motivated PhD students that are interested in Medicinal Chemistry and/or Chemical Biology.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

I don’t think that there is one particular achievement I am most proud of, but more the combination of a series of achievements. Growing up I wasn’t a very good student and an academic career seemed out of reach. The completion of a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and PhD after several years of work experience in industry was only possible due to a lot of hard work and dedication. Therefore, running my own research group, teaching and supervising postgraduate students is something I not only enjoy, but I am proud of. 

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why? 

This is a difficult question as behind every paper there is a lot of work and unique experiences. However, my first publication in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (M. Jörg et al. J. Med. Chem. 2015, 58, 718-738.) is very special to me as it sums up three years of work during my PhD. The majority of the work was performed by myself and this publication one of the highlights of my PhD.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

Passion for their field of study, good work ethic, ability to work individually and also be a team player, attention to detail, drive to excel, high motivation, resilience, good communication and interpersonal skills.

Have you experienced any unfair situations during your scientific career? How would you advise scientists facing similar situations?

Unfortunately, unfair situations are not uncommon in scientific careers (and probably most careers). For example, my non-traditional academic career path has prohibited me from applying to several early- and mid-career grants and fellowships due to age limitations. Thankfully, this has become less common over the last few years. I recommend connecting with people that actively support your career. Be resilient. Stay true to your values. Try to make the change that is needed to make it better for future generations.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

In my second week of a 1-year internship, I forgot to turn on the water flow to one of the rotavaps. While this doesn’t sound too bad, it resulted in breaking the condenser of the rotavap, which is not easy or cheap to repair. It was a very embarrassing mistake and not a good way to join a new lab.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

There isn’t just one scientist that I admire the most. Generally, I am most inspired by genuine people that have faced and overcome some major obstacles in their career and/or life.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

Some of the areas that have huge potential are protein degradation, DNA-encoded libraries, biomarkers, and personalised medicine. Additionally, machine learning will transform the way we work in drug discovery and beyond.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

When I was in high school, I read “The Periodic Table”, a short story collection by the Italian chemist, partisan, writer, and Jewish Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, named after the periodic table in chemistry. Among the others a passage in the short story “Iron” caught my attention and fascinated me: “the nobility of man, acquired in a hundred centuries of trial and error, lay in making himself the conqueror of matter, and that I had enrolled in chemistry because I wanted to remain faithful to this nobility. That conquering matter is to understand it, and understanding matter is necessary to understanding the universe and ourselves: and that therefore Mendeleev's Periodic Table, which just during those weeks we were laboriously learning to unravel, was poetry, loftier and more solemn than all the poetry we had swallowed down in liceo; and come to think of it, it even rhymed!”. In that moment I decided that chemistry should be my own path. Within this context, medicinal chemistry was a natural choice because I have always been fascinated by the chemistry and biology interface, in particular the capability to affect human diseases. To me, medicinal chemistry gives you super-powers!

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

It was back in 1997, at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, under the supervision of prof. Marino Artico. My PhD project was focused on the development of 2-alkoxy- and 2-alkylthio-6-arylmethyl-4-oxopyrimidines as a new class of potent non-nucleoside HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase inhibitors. After the PhD, I spent postdoctoral stints at the Drug Chemistry Center of Italian National Research Center (Rome, 1 year), Italian National Institute of Health (2 years), University of Rome "La Sapienza" (1 year), University of Siena (1 year) before joining the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Salerno, Italy, as an assistant professor. Three years later, I spent a sabbatical period (1 year) as a visiting professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), in the group of Michael E. Jung.

What are your current research interests?

The main interest of my research group (Epigenetic Med Chem Lab, EMCL) is the development of chemical probes for the study of protein targets responsible (directly or indirectly) of epigenetic modifications (KATs, KMTs, DNMTs, PRMTs, KDMs, bromodomain, MBT, Tudor) or of proteins regulated by epigenetic processes (e.g., LINE-1 RT), taking advantage of a multidisciplinary approach combining synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry and biophysics. But, of course, we also have running projects on other topics outside the epigenetics field.

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

There are quite a lot of beautiful examples that can be used to better explain epigenetics. In general, I use a musical metaphor. DNA is often considered as if it’s a template, like a mold for a car part in a factory, out popping thousands of identical car parts unless something goes wrong in the process. But DNA isn’t really like that. It is more like a musical score, that could be played in quite different ways like, for example, are the interpretations of “What a wonderful world” by Louis Armstrong and Joey Ramone. And how the DNA score is played depends on epigenetic mechanisms. In my group, we develop chemical tools for studying such mechanisms.

What do you like best about your work?

The freedom to work on what interests me most, coming up with new research ideas, designing experiments and potential molecules, working with intelligent and enthusiastic early career researchers who are willing to embrace exciting new approaches, mentoring students. And I really love the multidisciplinary nature of our research. 

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

It’s been several years since when I used to work in the lab and it’s a pity since that was the real fun. My current tasks include teaching, writing papers, and finding money for research by writing national and international grant applications. Mentoring PhD students and postdocs and guide them towards the research goals is another important task. And (unfortunately) administrative/institutional tasks also occupy a large part of my time, much larger than I wish.

In science being a good communicator is of high importance, not just for teaching. Curiosity is an essential skill but knowledge, creativity (with the ability to repeatedly generate good ideas), critical thinking (and seeing underlying principles behind data sets and deriving new concepts and principles from them), commitment, persistence, social-, communication-, and team leader skills as well as intuition are also quite important. 

How many PhD students and postdocs do you currently supervise? Are you currently looking for a new PhD student or a postdoc?

My research group has shrunk a little bit during the last 2-3 years because of the COVID19 pandemics. Currently it consists of around 20 people (including assistant and associate professors) and there are 4 PhD students and 3 postdocs, besides many undergraduate students. The group will expand again in the future and applications by talented and motivated candidates with the right background and passion are always welcome.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I care about the progress of my students and try to push them as much as I can for success. I encourage them for an independent thinking. Good science needs the air of freedom to explore own ideas and to be creative, and I leave my students and postdocs the required room. I believe that a student that knows the bigger picture is more motivated to accomplish her/his goals and therefore I constantly share with my students the primary goals and future directions so they could choose where to take their projects to.

The social atmosphere in the group is also of high importance.

Supervising students goes beyond providing scientific guidance. Mentoring is crucial for career development, and I always try to encourage and motivate students at a personal level when problems arise during their projects.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

It is difficult to name one, because I’m very proud of all the research work we have done. Probably one of the most important achievements was the discovery of the first inhibitor of the Tudor-domain-containing protein Spindlin1 (SPIN1), capable of engaging the protein in cells, blocking its ability to 'read' H3K4me3 marks and inhibiting its transcriptional-coactivator activity. Other important ones are the development of an inhibitor of the retrotransposon LINE1 reverse transcriptase which also induces apoptosis in a cell-density-dependent manner and antagonizes tumour growth in animal models, the development of a positive modulator of the lysine acetyltransferase PCAF able to selectively regulate the extinction of conditioned fear, the identification of a novel selective and cell-active chemotype for G9a/GLP inhibitors, based on the underinvestigated 2-alkyl-5-amino- and 2-aryl-5-amino-substituted 3H-benzo[e][1,4]diazepine scaffold, the identification of an allosteric inhibitor of the acetyltransferase p300, and the identification of the first potent PRMT7/9 inhibitor.

But I am also very proud of the career achievements of my former graduate and PhD students, both in academia and industry all over Europe.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

They are those reporting the achievements mentioned above:

• Nat Chem Biol 13, 750–756 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.2377
• J Med Chem 2011 54 (16), 5927-5936. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jm200734j
• J Neurosci 2012, 32 (35) 11930-11941 https://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/35/11930.full
• PNAS 2011, 108 (7) 2795-2800, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1013124108
• J. Med. Chem. 2019, 62, 5, 2666–2689 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b02008
• J. Med. Chem. 2015, 58, 6, 2779–2798 https://doi.org/10.1021/jm5019687
• J. Med. Chem. 2023, 66, 19, 13665–13683 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01030

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

When I was studying chemistry, I had the exciting opportunity to perform a gap-year in industry which turnout out to be at Janssen. At the time I was working on Alzheimer’s disease and the potential impact of my work in addition to the company values increased my interest in medicinal chemistry.

I obtained my PhD at the University of Strasbourg under the supervision of Prof. Françoise Colobert, Dr. Jean-Pierre Djukic and Dr. Joanna Wencel-Delord. I graduated in October 2018. I was lucky to work on the hot topic of C-H activation, trying to use sulfoxides as chiral directing groups. Not only was I working on catalysis, but also total synthesis.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

I am currently working in Beerse, Belgium, as a Senior Scientist and team leader in the Discovery Chemistry department.

What do you like best about your work?

I’m constantly driven by trying to make a world without disease. My work has the potential to impact patients and it drives me every day to do my best. Besides, medicinal chemistry is a collaborative field, and every day is full of interaction and learning from my colleagues in different functions.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

I enjoy collaboration in my work, and the papers I’m the most proud of usually result from collaborations. One example from my first year as a PhD student, I had the chance to give a talk at the JCO, an important conference held near Paris and gathering organic chemists from all around the world. After the talk, a research group engaged a conversation with me on the possibility to use our chiral auxiliary for their projects. Couple of years after, this nice collaboration gave a paper on sulfoxide-controlled aza-Piancatelli rearrangement.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

Curiosity and a collaborative mindset are two qualities that can help, not only during the PhD studies but during the whole career as a scientist.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

It happened relatively late, during my first year of bachelor’s studies. I did not plan to continue with chemistry at the university, I never enjoyed that much of organic chemistry in high school, even though it was easy subject to me. I only applied to study chemistry at the University of Jyväskylä, since it was an easy way for me to start my university studies. Then something strange happened during the first year, and I decided to put all my effort into medicinal chemistry (only 10 students per year were selected to have Med.Chem. as the main subject). At that time, I already find it really fascinating, I just didn’t knew it exists before my bachelor’s. I guess I’m a classical example, that you may not know at the age of 18 what you really want to do in your life, and it may still turn out to be ok in the end.

What was the topic of your PhD project?

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of prodrugs for improved and targeted drug delivery. My main project was to improve the oral bioavailability of anti-diabetic agent, metformin via increased permeation, but in my secondary project, I also developed cytochrome P450-bioactivated liver-targeted prodrugs.

Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand in Distinguished Professor, Sir William (Bill) A. Denny’s research group, during 2009-2011. I developed novel inhibitors of perforin, a pore-forming cytolytic protein that is associated with several autoimmune diseases.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

At the School of Pharmacy at the University of Eastern Finland. Currently, I’m an Associate Professor and I lead the research group called ”Transporter-mediated Targeted Drug Delivery” team (Huttunen lab).

What are your current research interests?

Brain-drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier but also intrabrain distribution of drugs via membrane transporters. But I’m always interested in any kind of targeted drug delivery application to any part of the body.

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

Drugs are only effective if they are delivered to the right place. They also can be very toxic if they are delivered to the wrong place. To improve the effectiveness and safety of your medicines, I’m developing compounds that can utilize specific membrane transporters (proteins that also deliver sugar to your brain cells) to improve the distribution and exposure of drugs at the target site within the body.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

These days, mainly writing and reading. Writing grant applications, manuscripts, reports, etc. and reading scientific papers, theses, and other student writings. However, despite all the digitalization, the most valuable tools for me still are the pen and paper, I’ll prefer to design my compounds and write original ideas in my notebook. Of course, supervising and leading a research group involves a lot of different everyday tasks, like being present/available for the group members.

What kind of skills does your work require?

Of course pharmaceutical or medicinal chemistry background is a requirement to understand the basics, however, I’m one of those persons who believes that the right attitude, motivation to learn and readiness to step out of your comfort zone (not fearing the failures) are the keys in your personal success. The needed skills can be learned and improved along with your career. In addition, soft skills, like good communication skills are highly appreciated in any multidisciplinary and multinational research group these days.

How many PhD students and postdocs do you currently supervise?

I have 4 soon finalizing Ph.D. students, 3 recently started Ph.D. students and I also co-supervise 3 Ph.D. students with other group leaders. I also supervise 1 postdoc/senior scientist and 2 technicians and have a handful of ERASMUS and M.Sc. students every year.

Are you currently looking for a new PhD student or a postdoc?

I just recruited a couple of new Ph.D. students, so currently not, but I’m always open to work with Ph.D. students and postdocs who are willing to apply their own funding, e.g., Marie Sklodowska-Curie position.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

Hmmm… easy-going, open-minded, fair but strict, supportive. As I was planning to become a figure skating coach as a teenager, I think I still got it in my veins and my supervision style is quite coaching. I’ll throw the student into the deep end of the pool and then teach them to swim. I always said to my students that I’m learning together with them! 

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

I’m really proud of my current team and the creative atmosphere that we have that supports novel innovations and the growth of young scientists. I think I have come a long and curly way to get to this point and learn a lot about how to lead a research team successfully.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27253989/

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

As mentioned above, I highly value the curiousness and motivated attitude over the specific skills. In addition, the soft skills that enable you to work successfully in the research group and scientific community are very valuable.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to know more about your field?

Well, that depends on the background, how much you understand in the first place and what are your possibilities to dig deeper. Attending conferences or having a mentor could be steps for young scientists, but for non-scientists, it is a bit more challenging question…

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?

These days, everyone seems to be overwhelmed with deadlines and unfinished tasks, how do you manage your time and make sure that your brain can also rest and recover?

Yes, many times. The academic world can be cruel and people can be greedy. My advice would be that pick up your fights wisely. There is no point to waste time and energy on something that cannot be changed anyway. But make sure that it won’t happen again. Therefore, I try to avoid psychologically toxic environments and people. 

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

As a summer intern during my bachelor’s, my supervisor asked me to make anhydrous DMF by using molecular sieves (overnight). I asked her shall I also stir the mixture, and she said yes. In the next morning, I had a nice porridge in my erlenmeyer, since the sieves were completely destroyed due to the stirring. I was just amazed that my supervisor didn’t know this beforehand either.

What are your recommendations for a book, podcast, website, blog, YouTube channel or film?

I’m a bit boring person here, but I would recommend everybody to get distant from their work during their free time. Therefore, I prefer to listen to music, go to nature, play with the kids, etc. and give my brains something refreshing!

Each and every powerful woman in history, like Rosalind Franklin, Marie Sklodowska-Curie, and a Finnish geneticist Leena Palotie-Peltonen. But of course, I respect all the scientists, regardless of gender, who have the passion to increase our knowledge resulting in better healthcare, respect of natural resousources and piece in the world.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

Well, many diseases, and particularly brain diseases, are very complex, with several different mechanisms contributing at the same time. Therefore, I believe that drugs that can affect multiple targets at the same time are highly needed. However, no drug is effective, unless it is delivered to the target site, so in that respect, I believe that achievements in drug delivery applications can be results in real breakthroughs.

I would like to believe that we can still go greener in our chemistry and digitalization is a key step in saving our resources. However, to be successful, we still need even more multidisciplinary understanding over different research fields and the ability to communicate at such a level, in which all the actors from different fields can give their greatest contribution to the next real breakthrough for humankind.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I started to get involved in the field of Medicinal Chemistry while I was studying in Belgium, during the last year of my degree. I had the opportunity to discover how the organic chemistry that I have studied could influence and benefit the society. After synthesizing new antibiotics I changed to the field of kinases in neurodegenerative diseases which has been the topic of my PhD project. It has been a challenging but rewarding pathway since targeting the CNS is arduous.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position? 

After finishing my PhD this last April, I currently work in at CIB CSIC as a postdoctoral fellow but I am actively searching a postdoctoral position abroad to continue with my academic career. I would like to learn novel techniques like DEL, computational chemistry, DCC or PROTACS to complete my background in kinase inhibitors drug discovery, structural biology and nanoparticles. During these years we have been trying to develop new drugs for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. I design and synthesize new chemical compounds to target kinases, a type of enzyme that modifies other protein sometimes causing toxic consequences for the cells.

What do you like best about your work?

The best part of my job is working with other scientist and being able to directly see how my molecules interfere and change the course of the disease in cells and in animals. I like the multidisciplinary environment that I have experienced since in my opinion is the best way to expand your knowledge and your limits. Another positive aspect of being a scientist is the opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds and countries in the multiple congress, symposiums and meetings we usually attend.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

I am very proud of being the most meritorious runner-up for the 2022 EFMC-YSN PhD Prize, I am aware of the great level of other PhD candidates across Europe and this has been a great honour for me. Related to my research, I enjoyed writing the paper related to multitarget compounds for Alzheimer’s disease, which was published in 2021. It was a challenging but exciting project in which I implemented target-guided synthesis. Seeing the final paper published in Angewandte Chemie and the bigger picture of the project after many years was a great reward to all the efforts done.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

In my experience, the most important aspect of a successful PhD thesis is being happy with your project and working in a good laboratory, with a healthy atmosphere and a great supervisor. I could not imagine overcoming all the difficult situations that happened during these years without the support of my supervisor and my colleagues. Another aspect that I have enjoyed very much is participating in dissemination activities with other scientist and also with the general public. It helps you to see other aspects of your research and make the effort to explain it to someone that is not an expert in science. Finally, I believe that scientist can really make a change so I am usually involved in research associations or federations, because I think that we have to fight for what we consider fair.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

During a short stay related to protein crystallography in another CSIC centre, one colleague of mine and I accidentally swiped the crystals that we were analysing in the synchrotron. After three years of research, it was the first time that my colleague was diffracting protein crystals but they were not his crystals but mine…

What are your recommendations for a book, podcast, website, blog, YouTube channel or film?

Related to science and dissemination, I enjoyed very much a Spanish podcast called “Catástrofe Ultravioleta”. They share very interesting stories about scientific and historic discoveries from an innovative point of view. I have, of course, seen all the chapters of the TV series “The BigBang Theory”. It is very funny to see how they picture scientists and the hilarious criticism that they make to the pharmaceutical companies. 

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

I really admire Marie Curie and her husband Pierre. I think he stood for his wife and contributed to the recognition of the success of every woman in science after her. I am a big fan of Rafael Yuste, a Spanish neurobiologist one of the drivers of the BRAIN project. I heard one of his conferences related to neurorights which caused me a great impact.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

I think that DNA-encoded libraries have a promising future, in order to engage the target in the discovery of its own inhibitor and accelerate this process. On the other hand, I really hope that Medicinal Chemistry would be able to find a cure for neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or dementias, millions of patients count on us.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

Medicinal chemistry attracted my interest because it is a discipline that integrates different expertises ranging from computational design and synthetic organic chemistry to biophysical and biological evaluation. 

What was the topic of your PhD project?

I received my Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the University of Milan, under the supervision of Prof. C. Gennari, working on the rational design of highly stereoselective boron enolates using transition-state computer modeling. The developed reagent was subsequently used to synthesize Taxol and Taxotere. Both, synthetic chemistry and quantum mechanical calculations, were performed during the Ph.D. studies.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

In 1995, I joined Pharmacia & Upjohn, later Pfizer, and in 2006 I moved to Novartis, where I support drug discovery projects in various therapeutic areas, from early target assessment up to lead optimisation. 

What are your current research interests?

My research interests include ligand-based Fluorine NMR screening in drug discovery, the investigation of the role of fluorine in drug design, the development of novel methods for describing and comparing either fluorinated molecules or protein binding sites. 

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

My aim is to improve the efficiency of drug discovery by helping to design compounds that have a high probability of binding to the target of interest with the right molecular and physical properties to ultimately demonstrate good bioavailability and be beneficial to patients.

What do you like best about your work?

The possibility to work in multidisciplinary teams on various challenges. I like working in different disease areas with different protein families and different modalities.

What kind of skills does your work require?

Creativity with scientific rigor. Broad knowledge of all disciplines involved in drug discovery. Good communication skills and self-motivation.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

Contribution to the development of drugs that have reached the clinic.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

The perspective published in J. Med. Chem. (2019), 62, 2218-2224 nicely summarizes the synergy of working at the interface of different disciplines.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

After my A-levels, I started my professional career with a vocational training as laboratory technician and spent two thirds in a Medicinal Chemistry laboratory at nowadays Sanofi. My female laboratory head was so inspiring to me, and I really enjoyed synthetic chemistry, so I started studying chemistry in Frankfurt after accomplishment of the training.

I did my PhD at the ETHZ in the group of Prof. Karl-Heinz Altmann on a total synthesis topic “Resorcylic Lactone L-783277 as a New Lead Structure for Kinase Inhibition - Total Synthesis and SAR Studies“ and continued my academic career with a postdoctoral stay with Prof. Steven Ley in Cambridge/UK, again working on a total synthesis project.

What is your current position?

I am co-leading the Medicinal Chemistry Department in Darmstadt as a Director Medicinal Chemistry. In addition, I am a research project leader. My research interests are Oncology/Immuno-Oncology/Fragment-based drug discovery/Chemical Biology/Degrader. 

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

We develop new drugs for patients suffering from cancer. Whereas our area of expertise is at the very beginning of this process, namely identifying what goes wrong in the indication of interest and identifying chemical structures that can be used to fix the mis-functioning of proteins or other cellular targets.

What do you like best about your work?

I am a passionate researcher and people manager that enjoys helping my direct reports to grow out of their comfort zone. I love working with people especially with scientists and to do something that impacts patients’ life for the good. 

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

Listen to people, understand what they need to solve their problems and help them to self-help, look at research projects and understand what the next critical step is to be investigated and enable the project teams to go for it. Read literature, attend conferences, understand what others do and come up with ideas how this could be helpful for our research.

All this requires emotional intelligence, scientific expertise, communication and influencing skills. 

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

I am proud of being a meaningful support to brilliant scientists in order to progress projects into the clinics to meet patients’ needs.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

Alexander J. Oelke, David J. France, Tatjana Hofmann, Georg Wuitschik, Steven V. Ley: Total Synthesis of Chloptosin; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49 (35), 6129-6142. This was just very hard work…

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

To believe in themselves, to be curious, to be open minded and to be really motivated and hard-working to achieve their goals. 

How would you advise scientists facing unfair situations during their scientific career?

This might happen. However, be aware that you are on the driver seat, you will make it as long as you really want to achieve your goals...Never, never give up.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g., explosions?

Once I tripped over a dry ice container and destroyed it. I was really embarrassed as it happened during an internship with Novartis. However, my lab head was kind and calmed me down.

What are your recommendations for a book, podcast, website, blog, YouTube channel or film?

https://drughunter.com/ and http://practicalfragments.blogspot.com/

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

Identification of tools for difficult-to-drug targets and developing them onto in vivo suitable compounds for target validation is the most important area for the success of drug discovery in future.

What would you expect to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

Making use of AI in that sense that it really suggests new structures and creates something new. 

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I am trained as a pharmacist and obtained my master in pharmaceutical sciences in 1988. During my 6 months internship, I realized that, although working in a community pharmacy is an important job with a big social impact, I wanted to do something else with my life. I was attracted to research, and mostly to the chemical aspects of medicines. However, during our studies, the chemical aspects of medicines were mostly focused on the analytical aspects. Around that time, Piet Wigerinck, former CSO of Galapagos, who graduated one year before me convinced me to have a talk with his supervisor, Prof. Piet Herdewijn. Piet Herdewijn was a young professor starting up his group in medicinal chemistry and he could easily convince me to join his group. In fact, I was his second PhD student.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

After 4 years of PhD at the Rega Institute of KULeuven in Belgium, I obtained my diploma in 1992 with Prof. Piet Herdewijn as supervisor. The Rega Institute is best known for its research on infectious diseases. That period was marked by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the discovery of the very first nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The medicinal chemistry group collaborated intensively with the virology group lead by Prof. Erik De Clercq, and so this was a highly interesting and stimulating environment for me. The first paper I co-authored was published in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry in 1990 on the synthesis and anti-HIV activity of 2’,3’-dideoxyribo-5-chloropyrimidine analogues. This is more than 30 years ago. Time flies.

What was the topic of your PhD project?

The period of my PhD was also the start of chemically modified antisense oligonucleotides and the early days of automated DNA synthesis. We started exploiting the extensive knowledge of nucleoside chemistry available in the group to synthesize sugar-modified DNA analogues. I synthesized several hexopyranosyl nucleoside analogues that were functionalized for automated oligonucleotide synthesis and studied their properties such as hybridization specificity and enzymatic stability. My PhD thesis was entitled: Synthesis of sugar-modified antisense oligonucleotides. It is rewarding to notice that after 30 years of huge efforts the therapeutic principle of antisense oligonucleotides is finally paying off. At the end of 2016, Nusinersen was approved for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

An interesting story connected to my PhD topic is that one day my supervisor came into my lab and told me that he heard that competition had increased “a little bit”. Around the same time, the group of Albert Eschenmoser at the ETH in Zurich also started investigating the synthesis of hexose nucleic acids. His purpose was to find why nature had chosen for pentose and not hexose nucleic acids. Finally we published almost together in 1992 our findings.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

After my PhD, I belonged to one of the last classes in Belgium who still had to do military service. Next, I went as a postdoc to the medicinal chemistry research group of Prof. Achiel Haemers at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Soon, I realized that an international experience would be beneficial and applied in Germany for the prestigious international postdoctoral fellowships of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation. I was lucky to be selected and worked for one year under the supervision of Prof. Günther Jung at the University of Tübingen in Germany. This was a very rewarding experience. It was the start of combinatorial chemistry and Günther Jung was translating his experience in solid-phase peptide synthesis to applications in combinatorial chemistry. Four years ago, a large group of his PhD students and Postdocs celebrated his 80th birthday with a big party in Tübingen.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

Currently I am full professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Next to that I am also the Dean of the faculty of the university and until the end of 2019 I served the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry in several roles.

What are your current research interests?

One of the major research lines in my group is the discovery of inhibitors of novel types of regulated cell death (ferroptosis and necroptosis) and their application in different animal disease models. Currently, I am also involved as medicinal chemist in a large collaboration financed by the EU-IMI programme to discover novel drugs to treat infections caused by mycobacteria. We are targeting both multiresistant tuberculosis (RespiriTB) as well as infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (RespiriNTM). Next to that, I am also interested in applications of biorthogonal chemistry for bioimaging and irreversible serine protease inhibitors as chemical tool compounds.

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?

That is a very good point. Science communication to the general public that is paying for our research is extremely important. I indeed often get the question from non-scientists what I am doing the whole day. I usually start by explaining that a university professor has two main tasks: teaching and scientific research. And I add that because of that we don’t have as much holidays as the students. I try to explain that medicinal chemistry deals with the chemistry of medicines and that we make novel molecules that eventually one day can become a drug. The general public also needs to understand that discovering new drugs is a very time- and labour intensive process, but that even small steps that learn us what is the relation between the chemical structure and the therapeutic activity, how a molecule works at the molecular level and how this can influence a disease is important for the field. Nowadays, people more easily understand what Covid-19 is and how detrimental an infectious disease can be. They see the importance of having treatment and prevention options and the need to prepare for a next pandemic. I try to explain them that resistance to existing antibiotics is becoming a major threat and that untreatable bacterial infections is one of the next big challenges.

What do you like best about your work?

In medicinal chemistry, you design and create something new for the benefit of human health. This is in contrast to many other scientific disciplines where you analyse already existing things. I still remember the excitement during my PhD when you synthesize your first molecule that until then never existed on earth before.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

Currently I am not working in the lab anymore. Next to teaching, an important task is to find money for research by writing national and international grant applications. Successful execution of these research projects is only possible by recruiting highly talented PhD students and postdocs and then guide them towards the research goals. More and more, research is done in multidisciplinary consortia so collaborative skills and networking are highly important as well. As a dean of the faculty, I am furthermore responsible for research policy, personnel and students, and administration. Luckily the latter is limited because I am fortunate to have a very efficient dean’s office. By far the most important task as a dean is to attract bright and motivated young professors.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

It is difficult to name one. During my PhD we were among the first to incorporate sugar-modified nucleosides into oligonucleotides. As a young professor we pioneered the field of DPP4 inhibitors, which is now a well validated target with several inhibitors on the market as antidiabetic medicines. More recently we published several cell death inhibitors, among which the most potent ferroptosis inhibitors with interesting properties in in vivo disease models. I also felt very honoured to have served the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) as an executive board member for 11 years, being the president from 2015 until the end of 2017.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

One of my first papers. Augustyns, K. et al. Incorporation of Hexose Nucleoside Analogues Into Oligonucleotides - Synthesis, Base-Pairing Properties and Enzymatic Stability. Nucleic Acids Research 1992, 20, 4711-4716.

How many PhD students and postdocs do you currently supervise? Are you currently looking for a new PhD student or a postdoc?

I am the head of the research group of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Antwerp (UAMC) that consists of around 25 researchers. I am directly supervising 3 PhD students and 9 postdocs. Currently we are not recruiting, but we had several open positions in the last two years.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

Of course you should have an excellent knowledge of organic and medicinal chemistry, but even more important is passion for science, ambition and the desire to obtain as much experience as you can through international mobility.

What was your first EFMC experience?

My first EFMC experience must have been as a young postdoc at the International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC) in 1994 in Paris. I still remember this as an overwhelming and enthusing experience. As a young scientist I had never imagined to be one day also on stage in front of such a large group of medicinal chemists. In 2002 we decided to restart the Medicinal and Bioorganic Chemistry Division of the Royal Flemish Chemical Society (KVCV). One of the first things we did was to contact Edmond Differding, who was at that time the president of the Medicinal Chemistry Division of SRC, the chemical society of the French speaking part of Belgium. He stimulated us to apply for EFMC membership and in 2004 at the council meeting we were approved and I became EFMC council member. In 2009, when Gerhard Ecker became EFMC President, he asked me to apply for Secretary. That was the start of a 11-year long exciting journey in the executive committee of EFMC with among others the organisation of EFMC-ISMC in 2010 in Brussels and the Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry symposium in 2015 in Antwerp.

What are your recommendations for a book, podcast, website, blog, YouTube channel or film?

“Breaking Bad”, although I do not recommend anyone to perform the chemistry that Walter White is doing.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

Paul Janssen, one of the pioneers of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. He really brought our field to where we are now and he was and still is an inspiration to many scientists in Belgium and around the world.

Have you experienced any unfair situations during your scientific career?

No. On the contrary, I am very grateful for all the chances that I got and I am most thankful to all my collaborators

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?

The challenges in the field of infectious diseases are enormous. Not only we need more and better antivirals but we also badly need novel antibiotics to treat infections caused by multiresistant bacteria.

How do you see the future role of EFMC?

As a scientific federation EFMC has to bring people together around excellent science. In a scientific discipline such as ours that is highly dependent on multidisciplinary collaborations this will always remain an important objective for the future of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
I got interested in Medicinal Chemistry while studying for my Bachelor in Pharmacy in 2007. This led me to my Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Analysis with distinction at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom in 2013. Thereafter, I got my PhD in Iraq with distinction in 2019.

What was the topic of your PhD project?
The topic of my PhD project was entitled “In silico design, synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of spebrutinib analogues as antitumor agents against breast and colon cell lines”

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?
Currently, I am working as head of a department at the University of Alkafeel, College of Pharmacy.

What are your current research interests?
My current research interests are: computer-aided drug design, anticancer drugs, synthesis of new small molecules, green chemistry, microwave-assisted synthesis, and others.

How would you explain what your research area is to non-scientists?
My research area can be simply revealed as the design, synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of new molecules in an attempt to enhance the properties and overcome obstacles encountered with the existing drug molecules.

What do you like best about your work?
What I like the most about my work is the novelty in the synthesis of new molecules.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?
My work involves many tasks encompassing teaching, researching, and mentoring.

What kind of skills does your work require?
My work requires skills like being precise, creative, and patient.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?
My greatest achievement throughout my scientific career is the application of a WO-PCT patent.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?
I am most proud of the paper entitled “Advances in Applying Computer-Aided Drug Design for Neurodegenerative Diseases”. This is because I’ve worked with very talented scientists from Oxford, Cambridge, Aston Universities for almost a year.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?
The features of a successful PhD student or postdoc can be illustrated in being undefeatable and never giving up.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?
My team would describe me as an excellent motivator that full with positive energy

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?
When I was doing a reaction during my PhD, I was evaporating the solvent under vacuum. Then one of the supervisors just entered the lab. Distracted, I just turn off the vacuum pump without closing the valve of the discator. This caused the pump oil to return back and sprayed on the samples worth approximately 1000 USD! It was an unforgettable moment!

What are your recommendations for a book, podcast, website, blog, YouTube channel or film?
As a book; An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry - Graham Patrick. While the websites I do prefer are the ACS and EFMC as they are very supportive.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
Professor Simona Francese, as she kindly supervised me during my MSc in SHU in the UK and she was a real scientist that taught me a lot of what I am today.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising for the future?
Computer-aided drug design CADD

What advice would you give to someone who wants to know more about your field?
Medicinal Chemistry is a fascinating discipline that deserves every effort you would offer.

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?
Please write down all the reaction conditions so they would be reproducible.

What would you expect to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?
It might be the discovery of new druggable targets for neurodegenerative diseases.

Picture from the lab:

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I have been interested by chemistry since I was a little girl. Maybe it was the “little chemist box” that my mum had offered me, maybe it was something I read somewhere. It is difficult to know. Anyhow, sometime ago, I found an essay, “redaction” in French, that I wrote when I was eight years old, stating that I wanted to become a chemist to make new medicines to cure diseases. Over my study, I got more and more interested by organic chemistry and its application to create molecules of biological interest.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

For my PhD, I moved really far away from my home country, France. After spending 4 years in the beautiful country of New Zealand, I completed my PhD diploma from the University of Auckland in November 2010.

What was the topic of your PhD project?

During my PhD in the research group of Prof. Brimble, I studied the synthesis of natural products and focused on the synthesis of the spiroimine unit of the spirolide family of shellfish toxins.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

After my stay in New Zealand, I returned to the North hemisphere and performed an industrial postdoc at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel in Switzerland. During my time at Novartis, I developed a new class of cyclic peptidomimetics and started my career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

Since 2015, I am working for AstraZeneca as part of the Medicinal Chemistry Department of Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic. During this time, I have been working in two different set-ups and locations. First, I was located in Dortmund in Germany in the AZ-MPI Satellite Unit, which was fully integrated in the research group of Prof. Waldmann. We were three AstraZeneca scientists embedded in the MPI with a focus on assessing New Modalities to address challenging targets such as PPIs and Transcription Factors. Then, I moved to Sweden to work in the AstraZeneca site in Gothenburg as a Research Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry focusing on small molecule drug discovery programs for liver diseases. After a part time rotation of few months in the DMPK department working as a DMPK Design Leader, I have recently been promoted to Associate Principal Scientist.

What are your current research interests?

My current research interests are focused toward integrating small molecules and New Modalities to address challenging targets. Further, I have a strong interest for synthetic and medicinal chemistry with broadening towards chemical biology to solve key questions on how to move forward novel chemical entities towards drug-like compounds. In the bottom of my heart, I still have a strong interest in Natural Product and the total synthesis of complex molecules which I found very fascinating.

What do you like best about your work?

The teamwork is a critical part of how new medicines are discovered. Bringing together scientists with different expertise to work in close collaboration on a drug discovery project is the part of my job that I truly enjoy the most. Exchanging knowledge, making things progress and solving problems are what wakes me up in the morning and motivates me.

What kind of tasks does your work involve?

My work is about designing new molecules with better properties to reach their targets. I work simultaneously in the laboratory performing the synthesis of novel chemical entities as well as in the design, analysis of data generated by the research project. Overall, my daily tasks are quite diverse from lab work, to brainstorming and project meetings which is something that I really enjoy.

What kind of skills does your work require?

In general, a medicinal chemist working in industry needs to have a strong background in organic chemistry while over the years broadening his/her expertise in chemical biology, diseases understanding and DMPK. From a soft skill perspective, it is very important to be creative, have good problem-solving skills and a strong motivation and commitment to advance drug discovery programs within the required timelines.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

I am proud of my publications record from my PhD which gave a good overview of the work I performed during my PhD study, including the first review on the “Spiroimine shellfish poisoning (SSP) and the Spirolide family of shellfish toxins” published in Natural Product Report. More recently, I am very proud of our last JACS publication on “Macrocyclic Modalities Combining Peptide Epitopes and Natural Product Fragments”. It is a project that I lead and work on from the very beginning with a great team of postdoc and master students in the AZ-MPI Satellite Unit. We had to solve many challenges, performed a tremendous amount of work in the lab and collaborate with different scientific experts to achieve this research and access new class of modalities to address challenging targets.

What is the most embarrassing thing you have done in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

When I was in New Zealand, I used to perform multiple Birch Reductive Alkylation with potassium metal, a highly flammable metal! Unfortunately, New Zealand is a very humid country, especially Auckland located in a narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. One day while I was quenching the left-over of my potassium metal, I used a pissette of isopropanol which unfortunately had slowly suck water from the air over time, and this started a fire. My colleagues and I were able to contain the fire but it was a truly impressive experience for a young PhD student that I was, at that time. Since then, I am a master of working under anhydrous and dry conditions.

What would you expect to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

I think Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a critical role in Medicinal Chemistry allowing to design faster new molecules for a given target, to answer key questions and advance drug discovery. It would allow to analyse and extract trend from large dataset in order to learn and make evolve our design and understanding of the DMPK challenges.

The silo between small molecules and larger New Modalities will slowly fade to allow to access the right modality for the right target. A better understand and knowledge on how to solve key challenges of larger molecules would allow medicinal chemists to advance these New Modalities toward drug-like compounds with required properties to reach and influence their target of interest in human.

Picture from the lab:

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I obtained my PhD in a collaborative programme between GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Strathclyde in 2014. I was very fortunate to work with an academic (Professor Colin Suckling) and industrial supervisor (Mr John Pritchard) who both had many years of drug discovery experience and were very supportive and motivational.

What was the topic of your PhD project?
My PhD was focussed on the development of integrin antagonists as potential treatment options for people with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). I was able to publish some of my work and see one of the molecules identified during my PhD progress into the clinic and be ultimately be given to patients with IPF.

Where are you currently working and what is your current position?

I still work in GlaxoSmithKline, I am a Scientific Leader and GSK Associate Fellow within the Medicinal Chemistry organisation based in Stevenage, UK. My current role is to lead the GSK medicinal chemistry side of a joint research collaboration with Kymera Therapeutics to discover new E3 ligase binders that can be incorporated into PROTAC molecules.

What are your current research interests?

I am really interested in the field of Targeted Protein Degradation. This is a relatively new and rapidly expanding area and it is exciting to see the progress of various PROTACs into the clinic. I am excited to see what the future will be for these large molecules. 

What do you like best about your work?

I love the fact that every day when I come into work, I face a new challenge. This could be a practical chemistry hurdle or something that is related to the programme I am working on and can only be solved by involving the wider matrix team including biologists and DMPK scientists. This helps to keep me on my toes and maintain my motivation to see programmes progress towards decision points.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your scientific career?

The identification of GSK3008348, a potent and selective αvβ6 integrin antagonist that reached Phase 2 clinical trials. I worked on this programme for several years and experienced the progression through the entire drug discovery process from hit to lead through to candidate selection and ultimately the clinic. This evolution involved a number of different parts of the organisation, however, to be the chemist that designed and first synthesised GSK’348 is something that I am particularly proud of. Learnings from this programme were used to subsequently progress an oral programme to candidate selection as well.

Which of your papers are you most proud of and why?

In 2019 I published a paper entitled Targeting IRAK4 for Degradation with PROTACs. This was a programme that I lead with a small team of chemists and biologists from concept to decision point in less than 9 months . The work was then published within a year after the first degrader was identified. The field of Targeted Protein Degradation is a hot topic at the moment and this paper has gained many citations and has allowed me to present the story at various fora. Decisions we make are often fraught with uncertainty and the risk of being incorrect. So it is important to celebrate good decisions rather than lucky ones and I think this is one of many examples that demonstrates the smart risk-taking culture we have at GSK. ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2019, 10, 7, 1081–1085.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I would like to think I am motivational and someone that seeks opportunities for supervisees to grow and develop themselves. I like to pass on the experiences I have had, both good and bad, and hopefully help to guide the careers of fellow medicinal chemists.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

In high school I was very interested in chemistry and biology and I wanted to understand how drugs worked and how could I be able to create new tools against diseases. For this reason, when I had to apply to the university, I decided to study Pharmacy as my first option. The first time I got involved in academic research was in a Medicinal Chemistry research group during my first course in Pharmacy. Since then, and after being part of several research groups, I realized that my passion was drug discovery due to its interdisciplinary nature and the possibility to create new drugs and search a real benefit in patients improving their health and quality of life.

How did you get interested in medicinal chemistry?

I was in my first semesters in Lübeck studying “Molecular Biotechnology” and walked through the library amazed by all those books. The new “Wirkstoffdesign” book by Böhm, Klebe and Kubinyi just came out in 2002 and I borrowed it, and read it from A to Z in a couple of weeks. My next step was to walk into the Institute of Chemistry asking for an internship to do molecular modelling.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I stayed at the University of Luebeck in the Chemistry department and did my PhD (2009) on “Investigations into Viral Entry Mechanisms and Carbohydrate-Protein Interactions using NMR” in the same group.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

Department of Chemical Physiology with Prof. Dr James C. Paulson, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA entering the field of Glycoimmunology and Targeted Delivery.

What are your current research interests?

Fragment-based drug discovery against challenging protein targets such as carbohydrate-binding proteins. Allostery in Drug Discovery. Targeted delivery to manipulate immune cells for immunotherapies.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

I studied pharmacy as the consequence of my equal interest in both chemistry and biology. In my fifth year or so (one studied endlessly back then) I did a research internship in pharmaceutical chemistry, and got fascinated by small molecule – protein interactions while studying stopped-flow kinetics of the binding of drugs to human serum albumin.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

That was in 1985 under the supervision of Henk Timmerman, professor of medicinal chemistry at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. 

We wanted to sort out the molecular characteristics defining an agonist’s intrinsic activity at the beta-adrenergic receptors. No cell lines in those days for the radioligand binding studies we did, so I remember vividly visiting the slaughterhouse for a pound or two of fresh calf meat every now and then, an endless source for our membrane preparations.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

If you don’t tell anyone else: I never did a postdoc.

What are your current research interests?

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have always been my pet drug targets. When I started as a PhD student I was overwhelmed by the available literature on GPCRs and wondered what on earth I could contribute. Some decades later – it took a while - I have come to the conclusion there is still so much to discover in this research field.

What do you like most in your job?

Being a professor is probably the most fortunate position one can have. First and foremost, the interaction with colleagues, coworkers, and students is what I cherish, and I must say the corona crisis really has a negative impact on this. Secondly, never a dull moment, every day has surprises: new findings, puzzling data, and an occasional email with the great news of being selected as the 2020 EFMC Nauta Awardee

What kind of tasks your job includes?

Well, that’s a good mix of teaching and research, and the associated management. I am fond of teaching – got a few awards for my academic lecture series and together with Henk Timmerman I shaped and organized the LACDR School on Medicinal Chemistry, a 4-days workshop/course for young medicinal chemists, than ran for 20 years. Not surprisingly I love research, discussing results and science in general with anyone who’s around, and won’t stop before the G, the P, the C, and the R are mentioned in the right order. I won’t say too much on management.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?

When I started in Leiden back in 1985 there was no medicinal chemistry there. Now, it’s everywhere – even the School of Medicine has fume hoods now. I think I played a role in that development.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

Next to medicinal chemistry I am really interested in history and art, so allow me to step back a few centuries and honor Leonardo da Vinci. I just cannot fathom how all that brilliance converged in one person.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?

Frankly, my best and most influential papers were (almost) all built on collaboration. The structure elucidation of the adenosine A_2A receptor, as early as 2008, is my favorite. It was published in Science that year, and could only occur thanks to our collaboration with Ray Stevens and his team in San Diego.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?

It’s always hard to predict anything, especially about the future (thanks, Niels Bohr). Although not easy territory - languages can be very different, it scours and creaks from time to time - I’ve always learned most from where disciplines meet. So, for now I think the laws of biology and artificial intelligence are influencing medicinal chemistry unprecedentedly.

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?

Let’s train the next generation of medicinal chemists together, whether you are in academia or industry. That way, medicinal chemistry will always flourish, more than by anything else.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

For the past 4 years I have been working on my PhD at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal, under the supervision of Prof. M. Matilde Marques, Prof. Rita Guedes and Dr. Luís Sobral. I expect to obtain the degree during this Summer 2020. As part of my PhD project, I also collaborated with Inteligand Company, the University of Vienna and the Fraunhofer Institute.

What is the topic of your PhD project?

My PhD project focuses on epigenetics in cancer. I designed new EZH2 inhibitors, using 3-D pharmacophore models. Following this computational campaign, I selected and synthetized some of the most promising molecules with the intent of testing them against the target. Both biochemical and cellular assays were developed and implemented in order to identify hit compounds. In addition, ADMET profiling of the hits was also performed.

What are your current research interests?

As a Pharmacist, I would like to further build a research career in the development of new medicines. Metabolism and toxicity studies are expertise areas in which I would strive for an opportunity to work on.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?

My scientific career is still young, but I felt particularly rewarded that my computational models actually yielded hit compounds with good activity against my selected target.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

It is impossible for me to consider just one scientist. I admire many scientists who I have met during my scientific journey. I had the privilege to have meaningful conversations and learn a lot with people who are passionate about their research. People who work beyond the lab and dedicate their work so others may benefit. People with honest behavior, integrity, resilience and a sense of responsibility. People who give a voice to the aspiring scientists.

I feel mostly inspired by the examples set by women in science. Unfortunately, I feel that nowadays, women researchers still do not get the same attention, as well as credibility, enjoyed by their male counterparts. This cultural issue has been evolving in a positive way, however it is a struggle that we, women, inspired by other scientists who set the tone and example, should keep in mind and use as an extra inspiration in our daily work.

Fortunately, I have had many examples of people who can inspire others and I am grateful to all of them, particularly my supervisors for influencing and shaping the way I look at science, the way I work every single day.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific career?

Unfortunately, there is a lack of opportunities in science in Portugal. I have contacted and felt the frustration in many young talents, who get discouraged and abandon their scientific careers.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?

At this stage in my career, I would say my next one!

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?

I consider that medicinal chemistry is trending from therapeutics to diagnosis. Future will focus beyond the therapeutic target discovery and design of new modulators. Diverging from the actual amount of effort in trying to cure certain diseases (which should be always a purpose in medicinal chemistry) or develop new drugs with improved safety or efficacy profiles, I believe that the future of medicinal chemistry will allow us more certain, clear, and well-timed diagnosis of certain diseases, allowing us to prevent them, or at least have a better prognosis for them.

Predictive toxicology of the drugs is one promising field in medicinal chemistry. In a near future we could describe a complete ADMET profile using computational tools and large-scale in vitro models.

Thanks to the disruptive emerging technologies, Medicinal Chemistry will change. Big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence will all be crucial in changing the traditional Medicinal chemistry. The trends in cutting-edge innovation will be transversal to all the Medicinal Chemistry.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
Since childhood, I wanted to be a scientist. During my masters in Chemistry, the concept of drug discovery used to fascinate me. So, I explored my passion and interest in the field of medicinal chemistry to develop new drug candidates against evolving disease conditions for the benefit of mankind.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?
I was awarded my PhD diploma from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, University of Calcutta in 2016

What was the topic of your PhD project?
My Ph.D. research focused on the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of phenolic molecules against inflammatory diseases and cancer. During my doctoral studies, I synthesized polyphenolic small molecules as the inhibitor of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and studied their effect on cancer cell proliferation as a result of altered mitochondrial pathology, where MIF plays a significant role. I also examined the role of these polyphenolic compounds as antioxidants against NSAID-induced gastric mucosal injury by the amendment of mitochondrial oxidative stress. In another project, I have synthesized novel antimalarial hydrazone compounds having promising antimalarial activity against multidrug resistant strains.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
I am currently working as a Senior Research Engineer under the supervision of Prof. Fredrik Almqvist, Department of Chemistry, Umea University, Sweden.

What are your current research interests?
I am working on the design, synthesis and development of Mycobacterium Tolerance Inhibitors (MTIs) that invoke collateral sensitivity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). These MTIs sensitize Mtb to stresses during infection and restore activity to the frontline antibiotic isoniazid (INH) in otherwise INH-resistant katG mutant Mtb isolates.

What do you like most in your job?
As a medicinal chemist, I relish to encounter and troubleshoot unfamiliar challenges in the laboratory. I find it extremely satisfying when my tiring efforts in synthesis produce active compounds against the disease models, I am working with. Apart from the lab work, I also appreciate the versatility of my job that involves writing, exchanging ideas with the collaborators, presentations, seminars and so on.

What kind of skills your job requires?
My job requires the skill of handling delicate reagents and intermediates with highly reactive functional groups. The strong knowledge in multistep synthesis, pharmacophore designing, and biological studies are also obligatory to meet the responsibilities of my job.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
I am highly privileged to actively work in a project with NIH-approved grant during my post-doctoral studies. This study shows the unique potential of our compound to reverse Isoniazid (INH) resistance. Our findings hold a promising avenue to disarm INH resistance in the clinic, offering contribution in combating the global epidemic of TB.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?
A PhD student must be highly motivated, inquisitive and hardworking to pursue his/her scientific research. The responsibilities of a post-doctoral researcher include independent thinking to develop a project, dynamic networking, and inspire the PhD students to cultivate their insights to thrive to explore their scientific pursuits. 

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments?
Once I turned my chemical hood yellow along with the instruments and solvent bottles by an explosion during a nitration reaction.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
Prof. Phil Baran at Scripps Research Institute. He performs robust synthetic chemistry work which has implications in medicinal chemistry, agrochemicals and industries. In his lab they did chemical reactions in a cup of coffee or plastic bucket to show the synthetic procedures are easy and robust. He is changing the view of organic chemists by breaking the myth about the synthesis of complicated compounds with efficient simple transformations.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
As I have mentioned earlier, I am proud to work in an NIH-funded project. One of our recent investigations was published in PNAS (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.) that depicted a novel avenue to reverse antibiotic resistance in persistent tuberculosis strains.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?
In my opinion, personalized medicine is the most promising advancements in next-generation therapeutic intervention, especially in the treatment of cancers; because it will replace the “one size fits all” concept of therapies, where same dose of drugs is prescribed to all the patients. This kind of therapy is tailored to consider the genetic and biological makeup, the environment and lifestyle of each and every individual

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?
I would be interested to perceive the rationale of other medicinal chemists in pharmacophore designing. I would also prefer to seek out their notion about target identification minimizing off-target effects.

What would you guess to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?
I realized that acquired drug-resistance is the major challenge in medicinal chemistry. Development of novel drugs that can reverse the drug-resistance mechanism can be the cornerstone to fetch the revolution in therapeutics.

Today, our #Iamamedicinalchemist is the most meritorious runner-up of the 2019 EFMC Prize for a Young Medicinal Chemist in Academia.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

2008 (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

What was the topic of your PhD project?

Design and synthesis of inhibitors of the antimalarial target enzyme IspE (Prof. F. Diederich)

Where did you have your postdoc position?

Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires, Strasbourg, France (Prof. J.-M-Lehn)

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?

Head of department at Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland and full professor at Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

What are your current research interests?

Anti-infective drug discovery using both established and innovative, protein-templated approaches

What do you like most in your job?

The creativity and freedom to focus on the projects that inspire me the most.

The diversity of the activities: research, teaching, project discussions with coworkers and collaboration partners, writing, presenting, attending conferences etc.

What kind of tasks your job includes?

Carry out research, teaching, project discussions with coworkers and collaboration partners, writing scientific papers and grants, presenting the results, attending conferences, serving on committees etc.

What kind of skills your job requires?

Creativity, communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, organisational skills, time-management skills

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?

Obtaining the ERC starting grant and securing my current position

How many PhD and postdoc students do you have at the moment?

13 PhD students and 10 postdocs

Are you currently looking for a new PhD and postdoc students?

Yes always

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

Self-motivated, creative, persistent, meticulous, interested to venture into new fields/learn new techniques

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

Open-minded, giving coworkers a lot of freedom do develop their own ideas, supportive, ambitious, creating and maintaining a collaborative environment and spirit in the group

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

As a Master’s student, I handled 1,2-ethane-dithiol for the first time and was not aware of its smell.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

Marie Curie for her scientific achievements and for being an important role model as a female scientist, certainly ahead of her time.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?

First report on the synergistic combination of dynamic combinatorial chemistry and structure-based de novo design (M. Mondal et al., Angewandte Chemie, 2014)

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?

As an academia, I believe it is most valuable, rewarding and urgent to work in a field that is underexplored/neglected by the pharmaceutical industry such as anti-infective drug discovery.

What would you guess to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

1. Obtaining structures of complexes of target protein and inhibitor on a routine basis thanks to the continuous developments in structural biology, in particular electron microscopy.
2. Cell-based target validation thanks to progress in the field of chemical probe design.

Today, our #Iamamedicinalchemist is Dmitry Mazunin from F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, Switzerland.

Discover his full-story below!

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I did my PhD with Prof. Jeffrey W. Bode at ETH Zurich from 2011-2016

What was the topic of your PhD project?

Initially I worked on bullvaene, a shape-shifting molecule. However, my doctoral thesis deals with recently discovered KAT ligation and its use as a bioorthogonal reaction.  We have used KAT ligation for hydrogel formation and functionalization.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

For my postdoc I moved to LMB in Cambridge, UK supported by SNF fellowship. I spent 18 months in the group of Prof. Jason W. Chin working in the area  of chemical biology.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?

Currently I am working as a medicinal chemist at F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel

What are your current research interests?

Our medicinal chemistry department  is supporting preclinical reseach in terapeutic  areas such neuroscience, oncology, inflammation, immunology and infectious desease. Currently I am a part of oncology section and  involved in design and synthesis of our target copounds ranging from lead identification to lead optimisation.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific carrier?

Personally I would consider a big (biggest) achievment in my carrier if I could contribute to a development of a drug, which will help patients. Until today it has been an educational and adventurous  scientific journey from my chemistry studies over PhD and Postdoc to my current position.

How many PhD and postdoc students do you have at the moment? Are you currently looking for a new PhD and postdoc students?

At the moment medchem department  does’t host any PhDs or Postdocs. Recently we had a 3-months stay of a PhD student from Germany.  However, MedChem department at Roche in Basel has been organizing a one-year intership program (RICH) for students for many years.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I try to be collegial and teach my students to work independently without a fear to fail. Till today I have been fortuate to supervise six students and all of them started or are planning to start their PhD. At least I haven’t scared anyone.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments?

As all students I had few small run-aways and one a bit bigger while trying to scape up a synthesis. Fortunately I have never had an explosion, but was present in the lab when two happened and it is not fun at all. One of them happened for water splitting where you generate oxygen and hydrogen. It was done on larger scale and two gases were collected in two barrels with safety detectors. However, the setup was drawn by a chemist, but the apparatus was build by electricians . And here a funny part starts: for chemist a kathode is a plus, and anode is a minus; for a electrician visa versa.  Electriacians connected the setup not in the right way. The gases were collected in wrong barrels and the safety detectors didn’t help when one of them was leaking. After certain time when the ratio was 2:1 it exploded.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?

Oncology would remain unfortunately one of the biggest challenges for biology but also for drug discovery.

Today, our #Iamamedicinalchemist is Dr Giannamaria Annunziato from the Università degli Studi di Parma, Italy.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I obtained the Ph.D. diploma in March 2017 at the University of Parma, spending four months at ETH of Zurich as visiting Ph.D. student.

What was the topic of your PhD project?

“New strategies to eradicate Microbial Resistance”, I’ve been involved into a very challenging and exciting project, from the synthesis of small molecules as inhibitors of pathogens’ “non-essential” pathways to the total synthesis of natural products derivatives endowed with antimicrobial activity.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

I had a postdoc position as a Medicinal Chemist at the University of Parma.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?

At the moment I am Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Department of Food and Drug of the University of Parma and also, I am the representative of Medicinal Chemistry under-35 years old scientists at the Italian Chemical Society (Società di Chimica Italiana, SCI Giovani).

What are your current research interests?

Now I have the opportunity to work on different topics; I am still working on my former PhD project, trying to find small molecules as adjuvants of already existing antibiotics for which pathogens have developed resistance. From my point of view this is a very promising approach in this field because these targets that are “non-essential” are less prone to mutate and their inhibition make bacteria more susceptible to the attack of the host immune system and antibiotics. Another project in which I am involved is focused on the development of pharmacological chaperones able to restore the physiological activities of a mutated proteins underlying human diseases and, finally, I am also working on natural extracts in order to identify natural compounds endowed with interesting nutraceutical activities.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

I always try to make my students curious about their work, pushing them to be patient, motivated, hard-working and creative which I think are the most important skills in this work. 

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

Rita Levi Montalcini, the first and only (up to now) Italian woman which won the Nobel prize in Medicine and Physiology. In my opinion she has been one of the most important Italian scientists, and I appreciate her commitment in science but also in social problems at a time when women hardly have chances.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific career?

Fortunately, no

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?

I am proud of every single paper I have contributed to publish in a scientific journal, there is a lot of studies and work behind all of them. Anyway, up to now, the paper for which I am proudest is my first as corresponding author, on the discovery of a new class of antifungal agents that selectively inhibits microbial carbonic anhydrase. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry; 2018, 1, 1537-1544. 

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?

The concept of pharmacological chaperone therapy has been emerging in the last years and is very intriguing and interesting. Pharmacological chaperones are small molecules that bind into a target protein and stabilize its native structure helping mutated proteins to restore their biological function. The ability to restore the native physiological function of a protein trough a small molecule or bio-macromolecule is something really exciting and challenging to obtain. Such modulators can find large applications in misfolding human diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, so I think that they will play an increasingly important role in the medicinal chemistry field in the next decades.

Today we present you the story of Praveen Kumar Chinthakindi as part of the #Iamamedicinalchemist interview series.

Do you think we should use more natural products or their derivatives in medicinal chemistry?

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?
I obtained my PhD in 2014 from the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine-CSIR (work carried out) and Andhra University (Doctorate awarded), India under the guidance of Chief Scientist Dr. S. Koul and co-supervision of Prof.Y. L. N. Murthy.

What was the topic of your PhD project?
My PhD research project work focused on Natural products Medicinal Chemistry, natural products known for structurally complex and diverse scaffolds and using as a drugs for various therapeutic purposes from decades. However, especially terpenoids suffers from poor solubility as well as toxicity issues. Thus, I worked on biological active natural products to improve the potency as well as physiochemical properties. I had experience in Natural Products isolation from Artemisia laciniata, Psoralea corylifolia, Platanus orientalis Xanthium spinosum and generation of chemical libraries from their major chemical constituents such as Santonin, Bakuchiol, Betulinic acid, Piperine, and Isoxanthanol etc. using click chemistry, transition metal catalysis & functional group interconversion. Furthermore, we also investigated the therapeutic property of these compounds including anticancer, antimicrobial, bio enhancing & immunosuppressive activity in-house. Where we found few promising less toxic and more potent anticancer, antimicrobial, bio enhancing and immuno suppressive agents with improved solubility. After completion of my PhD, I worked as a senior research associate at Piramal HealthCare (CRO, Industry), Ahmedabad, and India.

Where did you have your postdoc position?
My first 3 years of postdoc at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban under the guidance of Prof. Per. I. Arvidsson (Director of the National Swedish Drug Discovery & Development Platform at Karolinska Institutet/SciLifeLab, Sweden). There, I developed robust synthetic methodologies within the new branch of young SuFEx-click chemistry ( J. Org. Chem., 2016, 81, 2618–2623) to access biologically active sultams (Org. Lett., 2017, 19, 480–483), 1,2,4-thiadiazinane 1,1-dioxide in single step. This work was highly competitive with impactful researchers such as Nobel laureate Prof. Sharpless and leading Industrial Chemical biologist Lyn Jones working in the same area. Furthermore, my synthetic efforts were focused on the synthesis of small molecule libraries and peptidomimetics using solid phase peptide synthesis & transition metal catalyzed coupling reactions. While in South Africa, I got an opportunity to work closely with world renowned peptide scientist Prof. Fernando Albrecio (inventor of efficient peptide coupling reagent Oxyma) on a collaborative radiopharmaceutical peptide project for PET imaging; there I was involved in the facile seven-step synthesis of NODASA with a model peptide on solid phase resin (Synlett 2016, 27, 1685-1688). Moreover, I engaged in mentoring of Master, PhD Students and I was also secured a very prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from the South African Claude Leon foundation. Recently one of our Review on SuFEX click chemistry (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2018, DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.201800464) has been selected as Very Important Paper by Wiley publishers and appears in Wiley Hot topics (Click Chemistry) as well.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
At Present, I am doing my second postdoc on “Sulfonimidamide based new modalities for Challenging targets” under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Anja Sandström at Uppsala University, Sweden in collaboration with AstraZeneca, Sweden. Here I got opportunity to work closely with AstraZeneca Scientists on challenging drug targets (PPI etc.).

What are your current research interests?
As I mentioned earlier, I am working on industrial collaborative project and my research efforts mainly focused on development of solution phase and solid phase strategies for the synthesis of “Peptidosulfonimidamide based new modalities” for various drug targets under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Anja Sanström. In addition, I got an opportunity to work with another academic collaborative project to design and synthesize antimicrobial peptide based protease inhibitors. During this year, I am going to involve another international networking project with Monash University directed towards design and synthesis of novel drug-like peptide-based enzyme inhibitors aimed to be e.g. cognition enhancers. I am also interested in highly challenging contemporary topics such as DEL, Antibody-Drug conjugates, PROTAC etc. I am enthusiastic to learn/explore underexplored chemical reactivity (SuFEX) as well as biological activity of novel chemical space (Sulfur aza analogues).
In general, Anja Sandsröm group works at the interface of chemistry and biology. Her research group develops novel methodologies for the synthesis of biological active peptides and tool compounds. In addition, her group involved in the development of disease diagnostic peptide based PET imaging agents.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
My biggest achievement yet to come, however during my first postdoc, in our small molecule libraries discovery program we found one lead molecule and currently being evaluating in-vitro studies at Gothenburg University in Sweden and LEO pharma in Denmark, and in-vivo studies at Karolinska Institute in Sweden. This one gives me some sort of motivation to keeps me moving on the scientific path and fearlessly accept major problems and challenges. Overall, this job gives self-satisfaction to help others, train the newbies in lab, review papers of others and share scientific experiences.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?
During my doctoral studies and postdoctoral studies, I engaged in training Master and PhD Students. Some of them working as PhD students and some of them working as Research associates. I have trained them in literature search, conducting experiments, problem solving, and data analysis. Also, I have involved and helped in writing their thesis.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?
Myself, I never experienced such type of accidents. However, I do remember while I was collaboratively working on synthesis of Betulinic acid based triazoles series using Huisgen 1, 3-Dipolar Cycloaddition one of my junior met with an accident. In fact, that was last compound to be synthesized in that series, after making the slurry of the reaction mixture (compound 17 + with excess of unreacted organic azide), he was trying to scratch the compound using spatula, all of sudden it detonated and round bottom flask broken into small pieces. Some of the sharp and tiny glass pieces scattered into his eyes (only sclera part) and started bleeding. We took him immediately to hospital and doctor removed glass pieces from his eyes. He was lucky glass pieces does not damage his eye sight.
For more info see the paper for compound 17 reference: Eur. J. Med. Chem.2013, 63, 782-792.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
In personal, I admire my mentors because I know them very well than any other scientists and I spent most of the time with them and observed them very keenly and I learnt many things like how to select the challenging problems, how to tackle them independently, how to meet deadlines etc. They are friendly, collaborative, supportive, passionate, persistent, open-minded, and kind enough to teach me gently during this scientific endeavor.
Mostly, I admire Edward Jenner, Alexander Fleming, Paul Ehrlich, Yellapragada Subbarow, Frederick Banting, and Arvid Carlsson for their discoveries which have great impact in Medicine.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific career?
I would say no, I never been in that situation! However, most of the time I openly discuss with peers as well as supervisors to avoid such type of incidents.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
I am not proud for any of my papers but very happy for few papers which was cited by most renowned chemists like Nobel laureate Prof. Sharpless, chemical biologist Lyn Jones etc. Also, I am happy for one of our latest review “Sulfonyl Fluorides (SFs): More Than Click Reagents?” has been selected as Very Important Paper by Wiley publishers and appears in Wiley Hot topics (Click Chemistry) as well.
Follow the below link for more information:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/…/(ISSN)1521-3773.hottopic-…

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?
Chemical Biology, Synthetic biology, and personal medicine all together going to be most promising.

Christa Müller from Bonn University is celebrating her 20th year as a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry! We congratulate her for this big achievement and share her thoughts on medicinal chemistry.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?

When I was an undergraduate student at Tübingen University, Prof. Hermann J. Roth presented an excellent lecture on Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Later, I chose him as my PhD supervisor and mentor. During that time I spent much time in the library of our institute, and there my favourite journal was the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, which I loved to read. And I dreamed of publishing myself in that journal.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?

I completed my PhD in 1988 at the University of Tübingen, a small town in the State of Baden-Württemberg, in the South of Germany, about 60 km north of the city where I was born (Rottweil).

What was the topic of your PhD project?

Synthesis and properties of chiral amphiphiles and liposomal prodrugs with unsymmetrically substituted disulfide bridge. The compounds that I synthesized had terrible physicochemical properties. But I learned a lot about stereochemistry, prodrugs, lipids, amphiphilic compounds, liposomes and cancer therapy.

Where did you have your postdoc position?

At the National Institutes of Health in the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, in Bethesda, Maryland, USA with Dr. John W. Daly. That was a whole new world for me which I had the privilege to discover. I would recommend everybody to work for some time in a top laboratory abroad, preferably on a different continent. You will have a new view on your previous work and life from a distance.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?

I have been a Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Bonn University since 1998 – for exactly 20 years. And I still enjoy the possibilities as a University Professor at one of the top German universities.

What are your current research interests?

My scientific interests are focused on the medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology of purine-binding membrane proteins (purine receptors, ectonucleotidases) and orphan G protein-coupled receptors. Disease indications include neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases, cancer, and rare diseases. My activities are ranging from basic research to collaborative drug development projects with pharma industry partners. Recently I have become interested in new modalities in drug development.

What do you like most in your job?

Working with young, talented people and sharing my insights with them; contemplating about tricky scientific question and difficult issues - and finding solutions; contributing to the development of drugs that are beneficial for patients; collaborating with experts from different areas and from all over the world; reading scientific literature and learning something new every day.

What kind of tasks your job includes?

Teaching, research and administration

What kind of skills your job requires?

You have to be an allrounder and a hard worker; it requires creativity, organisational skills, problem-solving and leadership ability, team-working and collaboration competencies, teaching qualities, high motivation, patience, persistence, resilience - and you have to deeply enjoy what you are doing.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?

Actually, I have always been broadly interested and contributed to different areas related to medicinal chemistry.

• Together with my coworkers and collaborators, I have developed many tool compounds for a variety of receptors and enzymes, that are nowadays widely used in many labs all over the world. Since I have been working at Bonn University, we name them PSB (Pharmaceutical Sciences Bonn) compounds (e.g. PSB-603, a potent and selective adenosine A2B receptor antagonist).
• I created a proprietary compound collection at Bonn University – the PharmaCenter Bonn compound library - which even contains the compounds that I had synthesized for my PhD. We do not only collect compounds prepared in Bonn, but also those from other groups. If we identify a screening hit for a target of interest, we collaborate with the colleagues that provided the hit compound.
• Recently, we developed the first potent and selective antagonists for the orphan G protein-coupled receptor GPR17, which bear great promise for the disease-modifying treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Patents have been filed and the compounds are being developed in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company. If clinical trials are successful, this could change MS patients‘ lives.
  
  Early in my carreer I have developed synthetic methods, which are useful and are nowadays applied in a number of labs, e.g. the synthesis of 3-substituted 6 aminouracils, which are important precursors for xanthine derivatives (Müller, C.E., Tetrahedron Lett. 1991, 32, 6539).
• My group has developed a number of new assays for various targets.
  

How many PhD and postdoc students do you have at the moment?
Are you currently looking for a new PhD and postdoc students?

My group is quite big, but this is necessary for our approach which combines chemistry and biology. The techniques established in my lab range from synthetic chemistry, (bio)analytical studies, and molecular modeling to in vitro pharmacology, and molecular and structural biology.

I have 20 PhD students, currently more than usually, but several students are about to complete their thesis, and it is always good to have some overlap on a topic in order not to lose the knowledge regarding certain lab techniques.

If excellent students and postdocs apply to my lab, I always try to find a way to finance them.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?

High motivation is most important, in addition to creativity and talent, and persistence.
Regarding a young scientist‘s CV it is always good to have publications (quality is more important than quantity), to have shown mobility, and to be supported by previous supervisors.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?

Since I have a big group, I am not closely controlling each student. The students and postdocs will get some freedom to develop themselves as scientists, e.g. to realize some of their own ideas. In the inital phase, they will be co-supervised by a postdoc in the lab. I am always approachable to discuss results or problems and to suggest solutions, and I am carefully watching the progress of each project, and interfere if necessary to push it into the right direction and to make it successful. I do care for my students and coworkers.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?

I had (small) explosions and fires. Once, I upscaled a reaction from a 10 g to a 30 g scale, it was the regioselective alkylation of silylated uracil with propargyl bromide in the presence of iodide, the procedure that I had invented. After the reaction was completed, and the excess of the silylation reagent had been removed by evaporation, the silylated product was carefully hydrolyzed by the addition of ice-water. This is an exothermic reaction, and it became too hot, resulting in violent reaction involving the triple bond. Fortunately, the fire was under the hood and could quickly be controlled, with the help of my labmate.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?

Marie Curie. She was the first woman to get a Noble Prize in science, and later on, she even got a second one. She achieved this as a Polish immigrant in Paris, at a time when women hardly had a chance to study.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific career?

Yes, but I was also lucky. In fact, I was the first woman who got a full professorship in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in Germany, and I got this chance only because at that time, in the late 1980s, it was more attractive to take a job in industry than to stay in academia.
Luckily, the University of Bonn had had good experiences with female science professors, and they offered me a chair without hesitation.
My perception is that not always the best scientists are successful, but the ones who are well connected within networks. The way you are treated is not always fair. On the other hand, data bases creating (more or less) objective assessments, nowadays can help in supporting fair decisions.
Another problem I have observed and encountered is envy, which can be very destructive. There seems to be increasing egoism and ruthlessness in parts of the younger generation.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?

Difficult to select because I have published around 400 papers so far, and there are a number of papers which I am proud of, including three publications which I co-authored and which were published in Nature.

Since I am supposed to select only a single paper, I would select this one:

Thomas Borrmann, Sonja Hinz, Daniela C. G. Bertarelli, Wenjin Li, Nicole C. Florin, Anja B. Scheiff, Christa E. Müller; 1-Alkyl-8-(piperazine-1-sulfonyl)phenylxanthines: development and characterization of adenosine A2B receptor antagonists and a new radioligand with subnanomolar affinity and subtype specifity. J. Med. Chem. 2009, 52, 3994-4006.

This manuscript describes adenosine receptor antagonists with low nanomolar affinity including the preparation of an A2B-specific radioligand. It contains a lot of information (which easily could have been divided into two or three papers, but I prefer papers with broad content). The described antagonists, e.g. PSB-603 and [3H]PSB-603, are currently among the most frequently used A2B antagonists due to their high potency, selectivity and metabolic stability. A long time after we had developed the first A2B-selective antagonists, such compounds have recently become of great interest for the (immuno)therapy of cancer.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?

• Immunotherapy of cancer using small molecules, in combination with targeted cancer therapies.
• Personalized drug therapy and diagnostics.
• Artificial intelligence and computational approaches
• Structural biology – insights into drug-target interactions

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?

• Which fields of medicinal chemistry would you consider the most promising in the future?
• How do you select the right targets?
• How did you manage to found a company (this is something I have not achieved yet) - and what are your recommendations?

What would you guess to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?

Small molecules are clinically successful and will be approved for the immunotherapy of cancer - further revolutionizing cancer therapy.

This week's #Iamamedicinalchemist is professor Martin Dolezal from the newest EFMC member state, Czech Republic. He is developing new antibacterials to help us outsmart the bacteria that are developing resistance to the current antibiotics.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
Initially, I thought I was going to make some career in microbiology, but that all changed once I took medicinal chemistry for my diploma thesis. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to design pyrazine molecules that are biologically active, meaning they have antibacterial effects on mycobacterial cells. After I received my Ph.D. in the field of medicinal chemistry, I took the assistant position at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove Charles University, Czech Republic.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
I am a teacher for more than 34 years, now a professor of medicinal chemistry. I am a vice-dean of the Pharmaceutical faculty. I am a president of Czech Pharmaceutical Association.

What are your current research interests?
Almost all my professional life is connected with pyrazine chemistry, with novel pyrazine compounds, with searching and evaluation of their anti-infective properties.

What do you like the most in your job?
I prefer everyday contact with my students in my laboratory. All my diploma-students (more than 90) and Ph.D. students (12) were very important members of my research team. Some of them are now very successful professors or researchers at other institutions in Czech Republic or abroad.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
My best achievements in my scientific career is the education of young scientists. Of course, I have prepared approximately thousand of new compounds, and some of them are very active against M. tbc.

What is the most exciting thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g?
Crystal forming during purification of new compounds, their fascinating polymorphism.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
I have an enormous respect for Dr. Paul Janssen and Dr. Antonin Holy, for their hard-working enthusiasms.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
The review article DOLEZAL, M.; ZITKO, J. Pyrazines Derivatives: a patent review (June 2012-present). Exp. Opin. Ther. Pat., 2015, vol. 25, no. 1, p. 33-47; the original paper DOLEŽAL, M.; ''.chr('268').''MEDLOVÁ, P.; PALEK, L.; VINŠOVÁ, J.; KUNEŠ, J.; BUCHTA, V.; JAMPÍLEK, J.; KRÁ''.chr('317').''OVÁ, K. Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Pyrazinecarboxamides. Eur. J. Med. Chem., 2008, vol. 43, no. 5, p. 1105–1113. Both articles describe for me very interesting facts.

What would you guess to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?
New miracle drugs (incl. biologics, gene therapy, …) for personalised medicine and personalised pharmacy care.

What is your current position?
I’m a last year PhD student in Medicinal Chemistry at Uppsala university

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
I’ve always been interested in the natural sciences and in high school I had an outstanding chemistry teacher who really awakened my interest to the field of chemistry. He also gave me the opportunity to go to the Berzelius days, which is the biggest chemistry meeting for high school students in Sweden. One of the lecturers showed us the beauty of medicinal chemistry and from that day I was hooked! I really like the combination of organic chemistry with the medicinal field.

What are your current research interests?
My PhD project involves identification and synthesis of Insulin-regulated amino peptidase (IRAP) inhibitors. Inhibition of IRAP has been shown to improve cognitive functions in several animal models and is considered as a potential target for treatment of cognitive disorders. Previously, most of the inhibitors have been peptide-based but we developed an assay amenable for HTS where we identified several small molecule-based inhibitors. We’re currently working on hit expansions on some of these.

What do you like most in your job?
I really like that I get the opportunity to do so many different things. Synthetic organic chemistry, analysis and biochemical testing of the compounds, as well as teaching undergraduate students. I like spending time with motivated people in the lab even though we’re working in different projects and in different areas of the medicinal chemistry field. The interdisciplinary discussions are what I like the most since I learn new things all the time. It satisfies my curious side that wants to know and learn as much as possible! Working as a PhD student has also given me a lot personally. A major challenge with a PhD project is to work independently and to find new ideas to tackle problems, and that has made me grow both as a scientist and as a person. I have learned to deal with pitfalls as experiments don’t always go as planned, and to manage a research project both independently and in a team.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
My job includes 80% research and 20% teaching. The teaching commonly involves supervision of lab courses and seminars in organic chemistry for undergraduate students. The research part is my PhD project which involves both synthesizing compounds as well as evaluating them as inhibitors in biochemical assays. I am also responsible for the NMR-instrument at the department which involves nitrogen and helium filling as well a basic maintenance of the instrument and software.

What kind of skills your job requires?
Except for all the ”standard” skills required for someone working in academia, like scientific writing, critical thinking, creativity, teaching, ability to learn and comprehend new information etc., I would say that some of the most important things when working as a PhD student is to be able to praise the failure and be persevering and courageous! Failure is a normal part of the process and sometimes it feels like getting a PhD is more of a test of endurance rather than knowledge, and you need to be brave from time to time to do something with what others don’t agree if you feel the potential. Of course, you also need to be able to work independently, to keep track of things you do (you will do a lot!), to be patient and believe in yourself (things will go wrong even though you gave your best), and last but not least; learn to get things done.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?
Oh, this will make me sound like the most boring chemist ever, but so far I have manage to carry out my research project without any major fireworks in the fume hood. So far so good...

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
Can I pick three? I would say Marie Curie for being the first woman to win the Nobel prize (twice!), Galileo Galilei for putting science before religion which must have been hard at that time, and Charles Darwin for knowing that the evidence he had for natural selection would cause people to get upset but he stuck with his conclusions and time has proven him right.
In everyday life, I would say that I admire scientists that are truly experts in their field and without any concerns shares their vast knowledge, allows you to ask an infinite number of questions without feeling stupid, and inspires you to continue and keep a positive mindset no matter how many hurdles you face along the way.

This week's #Iamamedicinalchemist is Riccardo Provenzani from University of Helsinki, Finland. Read about his work below.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
Well, long time ago as a kid I always wanted to play with one of my best friends who owned the game “Il Piccolo Chimico” (“The Little Chemist”) and try to create new revolutionary potions. Then, during my Master’s programme in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Pavia, the combo Molecular Modeling/Drug Design/Synthesis totally blew my mind—apparently that little chemist was still kicking for new discoveries. So after the Erasmus exchange in Finland I stayed for my PhD studies.

What is the topic of your PhD project?
I synthesize new compounds targeted to the C1 domain of protein kinase C to investigate new therapeutic approaches for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. I am also developing a new affinity chromatography device to understand the mechanism of action of the compounds.

What do you like most in your job?
The dynamicity! Every day can be different and full of surprises, whether good or bad.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
Experimental design, plenty of lab work, troubleshooting and writing. PhD students in Finland also have “teaching duties” so I supervise bachelor/master students and assist lab courses or tutor exercise sessions for pharmacy students. As side tasks I take care of few instruments like our flash purification system and NMR spectrometer.

What kind of skills your job requires?
Being open minded, co-operative, willing to learn new things and ready for sudden change of plans!

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?
I was going to run a reaction in the microwave but it was occupied so I decided place the vial (sealed) in a oil bath, to run the reaction in my fume hood. The conditions were neat so just the 2 reagents, no solvents required...except I didn't pay attention to the small percentage of DCM present in one of the two reagents. So, I turned the heating on and in the meanwhile I went to finish a flash purification in the adjacent lab. After few minutes I heard "POOOM". I ran back to find my labmate frozen, totally pale and looking at me with wide opened eyes, my reaction scattered all around the top part of the hood and the broken bath leaking silicon oil all over the hood bench..."oops"...

#EFMC #medchem #research #science #PhDlife

This week's #iamamedicinalchemist is Tharindi Panduwawala from University of Oxford. Read more about her research below.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
My undergraduate research project was related to the application of nanotechnology and analytical chemistry in a disease environment, which really got me interested in
working in a field of medical need. Around the same time, a course in medicinal chemistry that I undertook in my final year of the undergraduate course at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka furthered my interest in medicinal chemistry and
wanted to learn more about small molecule drug discovery.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?
I obtained by PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Oxford (actually, PhD is referred to as a DPhil in Oxford) in 2016.

What was the topic of your PhD project?
I was working on natural product-guided antibacterial drug discovery with tetramates as core scaffolds in Prof. Mark Moloney’s research group. It was a very educational journey for me and really enjoyed working on this research project. We managed to make a library of compounds in search of novel antibiotics and some of these compounds exhibited a dual-mode of action.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
I am currently working as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Oxford in Prof. Christopher Schofield’s research group. The project I am working on is a hit-to-lead drug discovery project under the ENABLE consortium. It has been an exciting journey so far and a great learning experience where you get to work with an amazing team of scientists within the UK and across Europe.

What are your current research interests?
Throughout my DPhil and postdoctoral research work, I was working on chemistry related to the field of antibiotics. The previous work I did was focused on developing a novel antibiotic core scaffold in search of the next first-in-class drug. Then I moved into my current field of work on metallo β-lactamase inhibitors (MBLi) for combination therapy with β-lactam antibiotics. Currently, there are no MBLis in the market.

What do you like most in your job?
The work we do every day to fill an unmet medical need. This gives me the momentum to keep going. At the same time, we get to learn from each other within the team, which I very much enjoy.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
I mainly work as a synthetic organic chemist, but also work in the biochemistry lab when required. In addition to that, supervision of masters and DPhil students.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?
Passion for what they do…being motivated to do what they do. Also, along with good quality science, one’s ability to work in a collaborative research environment, the willingness to give a helping hand when needed will also define one’s success.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments?
So far, fortunately, no explosions. I’ve had my share of silly mistakes in the lab, but nothing significant to be embarrassed about. They are mistakes that we can laugh at in good humor…I hope!!

What would you like to ask from other medicinal chemists?
I’m keen to know what medicinal chemists think are the disease areas that they believe need more attention.

It is #Iamamedicinalchemist time again! This time we share you the story of Johan Gising from Uppsala University. You can read more about his research interests below.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
During my studies in pharmacy at Uppsala University I found the organic chemistry courses especiallyinteresting. I showed my interest for the department of Medicinal Chemistry and worked there as a lab-assistant during the summers. The research was very exciting and after spending more time at thedepartment, summer research school and a master degree exam work, I was certain that wanted to peruse a PhD degree.

What are your current research interests?
I spend most of my time in the area of infectious deceases and in angiotensin related research projects.

What do you like most in your job?
In drug discovery and early drug development you will get use for all your skills and work in a veryinterdisciplinary environment. It is very challenging and no day is alike.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
Coordination of medicinal chemistry FTEs in the European Gram-negative Antibacterial Engine chemistry platform (ENABLE, part of IMI-ND4BB), planning and risk evaluation of synthetic routes, project leader in academic research and supervision of PhD students.

What kind of skills your job requires?
Interdisciplinary skills and good communication skills are very important. Of course you need wide medicinal chemistry knowledge but it is also important to have some insight and understanding of the areas of all collaborators fields to progress in drug development research. One of the most important skills for a medicinal chemist is persistence and positive thinking – a lot of synthetic routes seems very reasonable on paper but might fail in late steps forcing you to start all over again and again and again.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
I was recruited by ENABLE and started as a medicinal chemist with minor responsibilities. During the following two years I was engaged in developing the workflow and improve communication in the big international organization. In this process I got more and more responsibilities and I now hold several keypositions in ENABLE such as shared leadership for all ENABLEs chemistry resources and co-lead for a lead to candidate drug programme.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments?
During my PhD studies I worked on a methodology development for improving the synthetic route to a heterocycle. The ring closure proceeds through release of gas and required high temperature (aboveboiling point of the solvent), not a good combination in sealed vessels. I utilized a dedicated microwave synthesizer for the ring closure and several reaction exploded during scale up. The dedicated microwave synthesizer is explosion proof but needed maintenance several times, my supervisor was very relieved when I finally got control of the reaction conditions.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
I collaborate with several scientist that are experts in their field. The ones I admire have very high research integrity and can communicate both at an expert level in their field, explain their research results to other trained scientists in other fields and also takes time for students.

This week's #Iamamedicinalchemist is Associate Professor Joaquín C García-Martinez from Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain. You can read more about his research interests below.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
Actually, I don’t remember when I first time became interested in Medicinal Chemistry, but I remember when I decided to be a scientist. I was 16 years old and I was studying Chemistry in high school for the first time. I told my teacher that I liked chemistry but “doing chemistry” not “teaching chemistry”, and he was the first person who told me what researching is about. Since that moment, all the main decisions of my life were focus on being a scientist.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?
I became a doctor in 2002, in University of Castilla-La Mancha. School of Chemistry of Ciudad Real.

What was the topic of your PhD project?
Synthesis and Optical Properties of p-Conjugated Dendrimers. I mainly learned organic synthesis and molecular characterization of the optical properties either in solution and solid state.

Where did you have your postdoc position?
During my PhD I was mainly training in organic synthesis in dendrimers and when I looked for my postdoc I wanted to learn more about applications and properties of dendrimers. I have been almost three years in the Prof. Crooks research group at Texas A&M University (USA). Working with him, I had the opportunity to learn about supramolecular chemistry, metal nanoparticles or catalysis on dendrimers.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
Currently, I am an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical and Organic Chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. Albacete (Spain)

What are your current research interests?
Our laboratory mainly focusses on the synthesis of active molecules. Our research interest is on tuning the final properties of the molecules by supramolecular interaction. The design the appropriated chemical functionalization of the molecules looking for properties was a historical aim that result in inefficient when final properties may be seriously affected within the environment because self-assembling induction or interaction with other molecules. In some way, molecular design may address molecular and supramolecular properties.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific carrier?
I like to think that my biggest achievement is about to come. We are constantly learning and improving. If I thought that I would had done my best finding I will not made enough effort to reach the next challenge.

How many PhD and postdoc students do you have at the moment?
Are you currently looking for a new PhD and postdoc students?
I started the Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry group in 2010, as well as the School of Pharmacy. This small emerging group are currently formed by four full time professors, one postdoc, two PhD. students and one undergraduate. We are growing physically and scientifically and always looking for enthusiastic people who love research and science.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?
I think this question is for my PhD students or postdocs. But I have to say that I want people to work in a friendly working environment and to love their research. Science is very passionate, it is how I feel it and it is what I like to transmit. No passion No Science.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?
Nothing so far….

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
I have always admired big scientist that friendly talk to other full professors and kindly listen to PhD. students. Scientists that reveal a great achievement as it was something casual. In this sense, I especially have to mention two: Prof. José Elguero (CSIC Madrid) and Prof. Juan Carlos Izpisúa (Salk Institute, CA, USA). Prof. Elguero is considered one of the fathers of the Organic Chemistry in Spain and I know him since I started my PhD. He always showed interest about me or my research and had a nice word to inspire me. Now, he is still taking care with the new researchers like he did with me. On the other hand, recently I had the opportunity to meet Prof. Izpisúa. A very nice person who with “spectacular” naturality can explain his amazing results and then ask you, how are you? Good scientists that are amazing people.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific carrier?
It was the main full paper that I published as first author, because of the policy of the group all full staff were included as authors and an extensive list of authors was in this article. The good thing about it is that now, the policy in my group is “if you work you are in”.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
There are few of them because of assorted reasons: scientific challenges, personal growth, bonds of friendships, etc. But there is a common adrenaline rush in all papers that I have published: Seeing the galley proof of a “just accepted paper”. This give me fuel for the next one!

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?
Many fields are hot topics in medicinal chemistry and most of them are “chemical” or “medical” issues. In my opinion, the future must involve others disciplines to explore new perspectives. In this sense, Data Mining is strongly developing in other fields and not much in medicinal chemistry although all kind and numerous data is being collected for years. These data, appropriately processed, may be very helpful in the development of new tools, drugs, therapies, etc.

This week's #Iamamedicinalchemist is Cedric Dzidzor Amengor from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. Read more about his research interests below.

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How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
First of all, I have always been interested in Chemistry since high school especially the organic aspect and in the first and second years at the University. With the passion in organic chemistry
I got interested in Medicinal Chemistry in my third year in the University. After graduation, I became a teaching assistant in Pharmaceutical Chemistry department.
I became a Pharmacist year after coupled with my appointment as a Graduate assistant for two years. My profession as a Pharmacist and passion in chemistry actually cemented the interest to understand more about the chemistry of medicines.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?
Currently in my last year of PhD

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
I just came back from Greenwich University, United Kingdom on a commonwealth split-site PhD scholarship. Now I am a Research assistant at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

What are your current research interests?
My research interests are in designing and synthesizing novel compounds using click chemistry as targets for neglected tropical diseases.

What do you like most in your job?
Always seeing chemicals triggers structure optimization in me and I enjoy being in the lab.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
1. Teaching undergraduates and supervising their project works. Designing project works for MPhil students.
2. Writing research proposals and papers

What kind of skills your job requires?
1. Patience is the first skill
2. Teaching and communication skills
3. Reading papers.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
My biggest achievements have been obtaining commonwealth scholarship (2016-2017) for split site PhD at University of Greenwich, UK and being part of the Next Generation Scientist Program at Novartis, Basel in 2016. I learnt so many things: chemistry, communication skills e.t.c

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?
There sis nothing successful in your PhD work except finding greatest joy after your PhD by contributing to improving the lives of humanity.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?
Patient but I need the work to be done.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments?
During my PhD, I was carrying out a Sandemeyer reaction. I under-rated the scale of reactions and did not use a larger vessel. After about 10 mins of adding all reactants, the whole reaction medium started popping out vigorously. Just immediately, a big boom in the fume hood and spilled all over. Fortunately, the fume hood was in appropriate position so I was safe. The remaining portion of the product however gave me a wonderful click product after.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
My greatest Scientist is anyone who lost their life in contributing to humanity.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
I am currently writing two papers and should make a great impact when published.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?
Drug design related to parasitic diseases

What would you guess to be the next major breakthrough in medicinal chemistry?
A major breakthrough in future would be discovery of a blockbuster drug against XDR-TB and TDR-TB

This weeks' #Iamamedicinalchemist is Ana Amic from the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek, Croatia. What does she enjoy about her job and other details you can read below.

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
I was always interested in natural sciences, especially chemistry and biochemistry. Partly it was due to my teachers, but in a greater part it was due to my family. My father is a chemist, and he was the one who got me truly interested in chemistry.

Where and when did you obtain your master/PhD diploma?
I obtained by PhD diploma in the field of Chemistry in 2017 from the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek, Croatia.

What was/is the topic of your PhD project?
I was working on a novel and ecologically friendly method for N-acetylation of amines in choline chloride based deep eutectic solvents (DESs). The main objective was to create efficient and environmentally friendly protocol for acetylation using DES, which acts as a reaction medium as well as a catalyst. Developed protocol was proven to offer several advantages to conventional acetylation reactions such as operational simplicity, easy workup, shorter reaction time, excellent yield, economically and environmentally acceptable reaction conditions with the use of easily available, efficiently recyclable and reusable, nontoxic and bio-degradable solvents.

Where did you have your postdoc position? Or do you plan to pursue postdoc position?
I plan to pursue postdoc position, preferably in a combination of experimental and computational chemistry. Molecular modelling is a very useful tool that allows a better understanding of chemical and biochemical topics. It makes sense to use computers to predict characteristics of novel compounds and even the optimal route of their synthesis.

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
Currently, I work at the Department of Chemistry at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, as a Teaching Assistant.

What are your current research interests?
At the moment, I’m focused on computational chemistry and the use of computers to study reaction mechanisms behind biological activities of natural compounds, which can be found for example in medicinal plants. My research interests are in understanding of the background of biological activity of medicinally important compounds, determination of main structural characteristic of compounds responsible for such activity, and its application in development of novel and more efficient medicinally significant compounds. For example, one of my projects involves study of mechanisms of antioxidative activity of polyphenols and their metabolites; another one is a study of free radical scavenging mechanisms of 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propanoic acid.

What do you like most about your job?
My job is dynamic, challenging and pushes me to do my best. It is a combination of teaching, continuous learning, creative and critical thinking and writing.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
There are two types of tasks in my current job. One is teaching practical courses and seminars for the undergraduate students, lab supervision, writing and grading exams, supervision of bachelor/master students, and similar. And the other is conducting my own research work and writing papers, conference presentations, etc. I’m trying to interest students for my research as much as possible, especially since this field of chemistry is not something they are well acquainted with and they are the next generation of scientists.

What kind of skills your job requires?
Teaching skills, wide knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, organisational skills, team work, writing scientific papers, critical and logical thinking, ability to learn, problem solving, creativity, perseverance, …

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
I think that the biggest achievement in my scientific career is jet to come. It takes time and effort, so I’m constantly reading, learning and trying to improve myself.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor/mentor?
So far I have supervised only a few undergraduate students and they are the only ones who can answer this question. But I understand the importance of a friendly working environment so I have always tried to be open for communication, patient, approachable, helpful and understanding.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments, e.g. explosions?
Well I’m quite boring so no explosions (yet), but I made a lot of silly mistakes, though nothing out of the ordinary. Except I have once accidentally wiped clean my memory stick (with no backup).

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
Throughout the history there was a lot of excellent scientists worthy of admiration for their advanced thinking as well as for their perseverance, so it is difficult to pick just one (though I am a huge fan of Galileo Galilei). I admire the people in my research team because they are true experts in their field and are not afraid to share their knowledge and expertise. They are inspiring because of their passion, open-mindedness, integrity and honesty.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific carrier?
This is something that occurs from time to time. I have had my share too, but I tend not to dwell on the past but use the experiences (even the negative ones) for the future.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
The papers I am proud of are the ones that are a result of collaborations with friends. I was very proud of my first paper, but the most important paper is yet to come.

This week's #Iamamedicinalchemist is Davide Benedetto Tiz from the faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana (Slovenia). Do you agree with him that luck plays a role in synthetic chemistry?

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
During the high school I had classes about natural science (biology, geography and chemistry). My professor was so interested about chemistry that transmitted his passion to me. I liked the pathos behind each experiments and the fascination that could stem from putting together small entities such as atoms in order to form bigger substances.
Later, during my master degree, I really fell in love with organic chemistry subjects combined with the pharmacology: this cocktail led me to become a medicinal chemist, a passionate scientist that transfers his synthetic skills into the development of new drugs.

Where and when did you obtain your PhD diploma?
I am currently in my third year of doctoral studies at the faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

What was the topic of your PhD project?
The topic of my PhD project is the design, synthesis and evaluation of novel DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV inhibitors. DNA gyrase is a bacterial topoisomerases that catalyse changes in DNA topology and are validated targets for antibacterial drug discovery.
DNA gyrase is primarily involved in the negative supercoiling of DNA during replication, while topoisomerase IV is deputed to the decatenation of the two daughter chromosomes after replication.
From the crystal structure of E. coli DNA gyrase B in complex with a previously developed inhibitor recently disclosed by our research group, I developed further inhibitors which displayed good inhibitory activities against E. coli and S.aureus gyrase B. Some compounds possessed activity against selected Gram-positive bacteria.

Where did you have your postdoc position?
Currently I do not have any postdoc position

Where do you work at the moment and what is your current position?
I currently work at the faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana and I carry out my research work as a PhD student in my third year of studies.

What are your current research interests?
My interests are mainly organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry. In particular I am involved in the preparation of carboxylic acid bioisosteres, replacements that are meant to boost the penetration of small-molecules into bacteria. The limited drug entry in bacteria is today one of the limiting factor to develop successful antibiotics.

What do you like most in your job?
Mostly synthesis and purification of compounds. I also perform docking studies of my molecules and other computational studies such as the prediction physicochemical properties. 
Examining the analytical data of a certain compound is also an aspect I like because I feel like solving a riddle and revealing the true identity of a compound is something that makes me satisfied.

What kind of tasks your job includes?
My daily routine includes the preparation of the designed inhibitors, their purification using several techniques (e.g., chromatography and crystallization) and the sample preparation for the collection of the analytical data (NMR, infrared, polarimetry, mass spectrometry and melting point). The most interesting part and sometimes the most difficult is the design of the synthetic route because you have to take into account the compatibility of different groups in a molecule.
Additionally, I am writing review and research papers related to the field of antibacterial discovery.

What kind of skills your job requires?
Patience, I would say, is one of the most important skills because it often happens to deal with failed experiments. Another skill is the manual work since I need to set up the reaction environment and to dose liquids carefully every day. Last, but not the least, the wisdom you need when arranging, for example, the stoichiometry and the duration time of a determinate reaction.

What do you consider your biggest achievement in your scientific career?
The biggest achievement is for sure the obtainment of molecules endowed with antibacterial activity since I believe drugs are important tools for the mankind's health.

How many PhD and postdoc students do you have at the moment?
Are you currently looking for a new PhD and postdoc students?
At the moment I am the only PhD under the supervision of my mentor, Assist. Prof. Nace Zidar.

What are the features of a successful PhD student or postdoc?
Persistence, creativity and a little dose of risk are the features I believe count most in the career of a PhD student.
Curiosity is also fundamental: I learnt how to predict and plot the physicochemical properties of my inhibitors while attending a summer conference.

How would you describe yourself as a supervisor?
I am not a supervisor, but I had some students working with me. I would describe myself as a methodical person because I consider the lab environment as a second house.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did in the lab while doing experiments?
The most distressing happening was when I mistook the labels of two similar compounds and it took several time to understand which one was the correct one. Another embarassing thing during the master thesis was while evaporating phosphorus oxychloride. The rotavapor contained few drops of water from a previous job and I suddenly noticed an evolution of smoke. I asked my mentor for help and except for the scare of seeing a "cloudy sky" I could go on with my experiments unharmly.
And yes, do not leave a black product on the bench without naming it: I found my product in the trash bin because a co-worker thought it was an impure mixture.

Which scientist do you admire the most and why?
My favourite scientist is Prof. Mitsunobu. His famous reaction that combines an alcohol and a carboxylic acid to make an ester has become one of the most important transformations in organic chemistry at industrial level and in academia. I have often carried out the Mitsunobu process and I believe one of its major utility is the inversion of configuration of the alcohol starting material.

Did you experience any unfair situations during your scientific career?
I did not experience such unfair situations. I think luck sometimes plays an important role in organic chemistry.

Which paper of yours you are the proudest of and why?
Without doubt the review whose title is "Overcoming problems of poor drug penetration into bacteria: challenges and strategies for medicinal chemists". It was my first publication and for me it represented a big achievement since I consider myself more a "laboratory guy" than a write-aholic.

Which field of medicinal chemistry do you consider the most promising in the future?
The discovery of novel anticancer and antibacterial agents. Finding novel anticancer drugs with limited side effects and antibacterial agents effective against resistant bacteria would represent a big step forward in the world of medicinal chemistry.

This week's #Iamamedicinalchemist is Fabrizio Giordanetto, Head Medicinal Chemistry from D E Shaw Research LLC.

What makes medicinal chemistry unique and so interesting? Read from below!

How did you get interested in Medicinal Chemistry?
I became completely hooked on Medicinal Chemistry when I heard a talk on Drug Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry given by a SmithKline Beecham Director at a career fair organized by the local university. I simply could not resist the unique mix of design, engineering rigor, uncertainty management and scientific method directly responsible for the creation of new medicines. The idea of being able to decide and manipulate matter at an atomic level of detail and see direct consequences in the lives of human beings felt so challenging, meaningful and rewarding, there was basically no coming back. Early thoughts about a career in architecture were quickly dispelled by the promise of designing and building something that nobody did before, nobody could see in action, but whose results could change life. I clearly remember this aura of wizardry and unknown beckoning me then, I just had to try and do it for a living.

What did you do then?
I signed up for a Masters degree in Medicinal Chemistry, then got myself a scholarship for a PhD in the same subject because I was thirsty for more. The industrial placement during my PhD was so life-inspiring and life-transforming it is hard to describe with words. I would leave the company site late at night desperately wanting back the next morning. The next day I would arrive fully energized despite set-backs, my sheer ignorance and the challenges ahead, daring to try again. A magic magnetic pull drawn me to data, new concepts, revised ideas, different people and skills, the details of all these aspects. It was never the same. There was so much to take in, to try and understand, to attempt practicing, to apply in projects, to internalize as an experience for the future, I only wished there were more hours in a day. It dawned on me I did not want to do anything else than taking one industrial drug discovery project after the other, sift through that complexity over and over again, success and constant learning as convincing beacons. I decided to build my professional path and all my future career decisions around it.

How is it now?
20 years on, I am so glad and grateful I made that choice and stuck with it. The reality of it surpassed everything I had imagined or even wished for. There is something extremely defining and inspiring in building a drug discovery project from scratch, when only the therapeutic modality is thought of, generating knowledge and expectations while advancing it through the various stages and pitfalls, all the way to progressive testing in humans. The journey itself is already worth all the efforts, let alone the final product. The fact that each project is truly unique and hardly resembles anything seen before only adds to the fascination. There is something very humbling in knowing and accepting that, despite all these years and all these projects, one would still have to start almost empty-handed, informed by past experience but not blinded by it, balancing endurance and pragmatism with finite resources and budgets, threading risk and opportunity, with final success still defined as a statistical exception.

What else could one wish for from a profession?