Research

Research Priorities: Biochemistry, photopharmacology, chemical synthesis, natural product synthesis

Dirk Trauner is an Austrian chemist and biochemist. His research focuses on the synthesis of biologically active bonds, the chemistry of natural products, and the development of new synthesis methods. He has achieved crucial breakthroughs in the area of photopharmacology in particular. The goal is to use targeted light to activate biologically active substances in the human body. This could be used in cancer treatment and ophthalmology.

The broad objective of Dirk Trauner’s research is to demonstrate the potential of the chemical synthesis of biologically important molecules and to use them to establish synthetic biological pathways. He is especially well known for using light to turn medicinal substances on and off in the human body. Trauner developed the corresponding molecular switches for this. He makes use of the fact that some bonds change their structure when exposed to light. Blue light folds up the long, stretched “switch” into an angled shape, and green light or thermal energy reverses the process. This structural change also alters the molecule into which the switch is built – from an inactive form into an active one and vice versa. The chemical tools he developed are used in neuroscience and cellular biology. They promise both new approaches in precision therapeutics for cancer and diabetes as well as the potential to restore visual function.

Dirk Trauner’s photopharmacological approach is comparatively new. His team works with animal models. Preliminary results indicate that light-controlled medicines could develop a completely new class of therapeutics.

Werdegang

• since 2022 Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
• 2017-2022 Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology and Janice Cutler Chair in Chemistry, New York University, New York City, USA
• 2017-2022 Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University, New York City, USA
• 2008-2017 Professor of Chemical Biology and Genetics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU Munich), Munich, Germany
• 2010 Research Associate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, Berkeley, USA
• 2006-2010 Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 2000-2006 Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1998-2000 Postdoctoral Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, USA
• 1997 Doctorate, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
• 1996-1997 Assistant Professor, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
• 1992-1995 Degree in Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 1986-1991 Degree in Biology and Biochemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Functions

• Member, Review Panel, NCCR Chemical Biology, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Switzerland
• Member, Advisory Board, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Saarbrücken, Germany
• Member, Selection Committee, Heinrich Wieland Prize, Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, Mainz, Germany
• Member, Minerva Weizmann Committee, Minerva Weizmann Programme, Minerva Stiftung, Munich, Germany
• Associate Editor, Natural Product Reports
• Associate Editor, Strategies and Tactics in Total Synthesis
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board, ACS Central Science
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board, ACS Chemical Neuroscience
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Cell Chemical Biology
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Chem

Projects

• 2014-2018 Project Head, Subproject “Exploring the pharmacology and photopharmacology of TRP channels”, Transregio (TRR) 152, German Research Foundation (DFG), Germany
• 2011-2016 Principal Investigator, Advanced Investigator Grant “Chemical Approaches to restoring Vision”, European Research Council (ERC)
• 2011-2018 Project Head, Subproject “Cascade reactions in natural products synthesis and new photoswitches to dynamically control biological pathways”, Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 749, DFG, Germany
• 2010-2017 Project Head, Subproject “Development of Light-Gated Ion Channels With Red-Shifted Action Spectra”, Research Unit (FOR) 127, DFG, Germany
• 2010-2015 Project Head, Subproject “(Bio)Synthesis of archazolids and their analogs”, FOR 1406, DFG, Germany
• 2010-2013 Project Head, Subproject “Functional manipulation of glutamate receptors for circuitry mapping”, CRC 870, DFG, Germany
• 2007-2012 Participating Person, Project “Functional and structural characterization of small molecule interactions with ion channels”, DFG, Germany
• 2007-2012 Participating Person, Subproject “Photoswitchable lipids for the optical control of mechanosensitive ion channels”, Priority Programme (PP) 1926, DFG, Germany
• 2006-2019 Participating Researcher, Graduate School (GSC) 82 “Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences”, DFG, Germany
• 2006-2019 Participating Researcher, Cluster of Excellence (EXC) 114 “Munich Center of Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM)”, DFG, Germany
• 2004-2006 Cooperation Partner, Research Fellowship “Stereoselective total synthesis of the cytotoxic marine alkaloid (-)-Haouamin A”, DFG, Germany

Honours and Memberships

• 2023 Inaugural Marnett-Porter Lecturer, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
• 2023 Eun Lee Lecturer, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
• 2023-2027 Honorary Skou Professor, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Danmark
• 2021 Arthur C. Cope Award, American Chemical Society (ACS), USA
• since 2017 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• 2016 Emil Fischer Medal, German Chemical Society (GDCh), Germany
• 2016 Otto Bayer Award, Bayer Science and Education Foundation, Leverkusen, Germany
• 2015-2016 George Büchi Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
• 2014-2015 Morris S. Kharasch Visiting Professor, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA
• 2014-2015 Novartis Chemistry Lectureship, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
• 2013 Kitasato Microbial Chemistry Medal, Kitasato Institute, Tokyo, Japan
• 2012 Shenzhen Graduate School Lectureship, Peking University, Beijing, China
• 2012 Lectureship, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
• since 2011 Member, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
• 2010 Fellowship, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
• 2010 Andy Derome Lecturer, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
• 2010 Givaudan Karrer Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2008 Roche Excellence in Chemistry Award, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland
• 2007Schulich Lecturer, Technion, Haifa, Israel
• 2005 Novartis Young Investigator Award, Novartis AG, Basel, Switzerland
• 2004-2006 Japanese-American Frontiers of Science Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn, Germany
• 2004 Young Investigator Award, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, USA
• 2004 Young Investigator Award, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, USA
• 2003 Career Award, National Science Foundation (NSF), Alexandria, USA
• 2003 GlaxoSmithKline Chemistry Scholar Award, GlaxoSmithKline, London, UK
• 2003 Eli Lilly Grantee Award, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, USA
• 2003 NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, New York City, USA
• 2002 Hellman Family Faculty Award, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1998-2000 Schering Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Schering Stiftung, Berlin, Germany
• 1997 Award, Austrian Chemical Society (GÖCH), Austria