Lecture "Utilising the Art of Nucleic Acid Modification to Create Powerful Molecular Tools" & Student Discussion "How to build a strong CV for your scientific career"

The JCF Köln-Leverkusen invited Dr. Jennifer Frommer from Oxford as our guest. She is a Junior group leader at the Department of Paediatrics, investigating Oligonucleotide Therapeutics.



At 13:00 we will have a student session where she will talk about her own journey in academia under the title of "How to build a strong CV for your scientific career", followed by a Q&A session. If you are a Masters / PhD student or PostDoc thinking about staying in academia, this is definitely for you!



At 16:00 she will talk about her exciting scientific research regarding state of the art Oligonucleotide Therapeutics with the title "Utilising the Art of Nucleic Acid Modification to Create Powerful Molecular Tools".



Both talks will be held in the seminar room of the organic chemistry institute (blue floor, room OC 413). If you are interested in a 1-on-1 session, please contact me in advance so that we can plan accordingly.



Abstract Scientific Talk: Utilising the Art of Nucleic Acid Modification to Create Powerful Molecular Tools

Natural and artificial nucleic acids have an unmatched wide application range. Key to their versality is their easy programmable sequence and the highly adaptable chemical structure. Hence, nucleic acids can be tailored to meet specific needs in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, and medical applications. To unlock their full potential, the careful design and introduction of site-specific modifications is required to further explore the nucleic acid structure-function relationship and to turn them into powerful molecular tools with high target engagement. Increased availability of solid phase synthesis and enzymatic methods have the great potential to further enhance their performance and additionally advance the development of novel nucleic acid types. In this talk, I will give examples of unexpected impacts of chemically introduced modifications on the nucleoside reactivity which encouraged me to pursue a novel synthetic route to obtain the respective ribonucleoside phosphoramidites with high yields. Furthermore, I will share my experience with post-synthetic labelling strategies to obtain ester-modified DNA sequences. Finally, I will give an overview of my most recent work regarding the design and synthesis of highly modified therapeutic oligonucleotides.