Events of the GDCh Division of Biochemistry

New Frontiers in Chemical Biology and Biochemistry
Chair: S. Raunser
Programme

Molecules of Life - Molecules in Life
Joint symposium of the GDCh Divisions of Biochemistry and Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry, as well as the Joint Division of Chemical Biology

Session I
- Photoswitches for reversible control of gene expression (O. Vazquez, Marburg)
- Weak effects on electron transfer reactions (S. Landgraf, Graz)
- iSPAAC: isomer-free strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition for generating large inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (T. Berg, Leipzig)
- From Peptido RNA to Translation (C. Richert, Stuttgart)
- “Multilingual enzymes”: Dissecting specificity in the Ubiquitin system through chemical biology (M. Gersch, Dortmund)

Session II
- Robust Fluorescent Light-up Aptamers for Super-resolution Microscopy (F. Grün, Heidelberg)
- In situ detection of the strain-induced radicals in human hair: Combined EPR-strain technique (E. Dmitrieva, Dresden)
- Biochemistry 2023 Awards of the GDCh Division of Biochemistry

Session III
- A versatile “Synthesis Tag” (SynTag) for chemical protein synthesis (N. Hartrampf, Zürich)
- Drifting in the structure of cell penetrating DNA- and RNA-binding nucleopeptides (S. Tomassi, Neapel)
- Custom-tailored Ligands to Visualize Cell Surface Proteins in vivo (J. Broichhagen, Berlin)
- Supramolecular Medicine: From basic research to gluten-related disorders (V. Dodero, Bielefeld)

Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids & Proteins
Chairs: A. Rentmeister, H.D. Mootz
Programme

Molecules of Life - Molecules in Life
Organised by the GDCh Division of Biochemistry and Liebig Association Divisions, as well as the Joint Division of Chemical Biology.

Session I - Chairs: Andrea Rentmeister, Pierre Stallforth
- Novel approaches to RNA imaging in live cells (A. Jäschke, Heidelberg)
- Interdisciplinary approaches to reveal parasite vulnerabilities (E. Derbyshire, Durham/UK)
- Presentation of the 2021 Biochemistry Awards of the GDCh Division of Biochemistry
- Structure-based design and optimisation of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors (L. Zhang, Lübeck)
- Development, characterisation, and application of RNA catalysts for in situ labelling of target
RNA molecules (M. Ghaem Maghami, Würzburg)

Session II - Chair: Daniel B. Werz
- Direct Prebiotic Synthesis of DNA/ RNA Nucleosides and Nucleotides (O. Trapp, Munich)
- Remote near infrared identification of pathogens with multiplexed nanosensors (S. Kruss, Bochum)

Cancelled at short notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Molecules of Life – Molecules in Life
Together with the GDCh Divisions Liebig Association and Medicinal Chemistry, as well as the Joint Division Chemical Biology, the Biochemistry Division organised the sessions "Molecules of Life - Molecules in Life". On 16 September 2019, the Young Scientist Award Biochemistry 2019 of the Division was presented. Programme

Molecules of Life – Molecules in Life
In collaboration with the GDCh Divisions Liebig Association and Medicinal Chemistry, as well as the Joint Division of Chemical Biology, the Division of Biochemistry organised the sessions "Molecules of Life - Molecules in Life". Programme

From 16 to 18 July 2014, the Division of Biochemistry of the GDCh, together with the DFG Priority Programme 1623 “Chemoselective Reactions for the Synthesis and Application of Functional Proteins”, organised a Conference on the topic of “Bioorthogonal Chemistry” at the newly renovated Harnack House of the Max Planck Society in Berlin-Dahlem.

Bioorthogonal chemistry forms the foundation of many modern detection and visualisation methods in cell and molecular biology, as well as in numerous areas of medical research. High-throughput sequencing and “omics” research would not exist without bioorthogonal chemistry. New biomaterials, artificial genetic systems and engineered metabolic pathways are further important research areas related to this topic. The 150 Conference participants, including numerous doctoral students, engaged in lively discussions during thematically focused sessions on established and new reactions for the modification and labelling of biomolecules in vitro, and on the visualisation and labelling of biomolecules in living cells. The second half of the Conference then focused on the interplay between chemistry and proteomics, RNomics and glycomics, as well as on synthetic biology and new biomaterials. There were 6 plenary lectures and 23 short lectures in total; in addition, 19 of the 59 registered posters were selected for presentation in three-minute short presentations.

The programme began with a plenary lecture by Floris van Delft (Nijmegen, NL) on the site-specific conjugation of glycoproteins, a topic of considerable current relevance in pharmaceutical research. Tom Brown (Oxford, UK) reported on the chemistry and biochemistry of the click ligation of nucleic acids. Itaru Hamachi (Kyoto, JP) presented chemical strategies for labelling and manipulating proteins in living cells, while Hermen Overkleeft (Leiden, NL) reported on activity-based protein profiling of proteases and glycosidases. Two further highly interesting plenary lectures were delivered by Wilfried Weber (Freiburg) on smart biohybrid materials and by Phil Holliger (Cambridge, UK) on synthetic genetics.

Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of the event was the first presentation of the Albrecht Kossel Prize, presented by the President of the GDCh, Dr. Thomas Geelhaar. The awardee, Prof. Dr. Roland Lill (Marburg), gave an inspiring lecture on the biogenesis of iron–sulfur proteins in eukaryotes.

Overall, the Conference provided an inspiring exploration of the interface between chemistry and the life sciences.

Andres Jäschke (Heidelberg), Christian Hackenberger (Berlin)