# Helma Wennemers
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{short description|German chemist}}
thumb|Helma Wennemers
'''Helma B. Wennemers''' (born 24 June 1969 in [Offenbach am Main](/source/Offenbach_am_Main)) is a German organic chemist. She is a professor of [organic chemistry](/source/organic_chemistry) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ([ETH Zurich](/source/ETH_Zurich)).
== Education ==
Helma Wennemers studied [chemistry](/source/chemistry) at the [Goethe University Frankfurt](/source/Goethe_University_Frankfurt), completing her diploma thesis with {{ill|Gerhard Quinkert|de}} in 1993. She earned her PhD at [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University), New York in 1996, under the supervision of [W. Clark Still](/source/W._Clark_Still), with a thesis "Encoded combinatorial chemistry: a tool for the study of selective intermolecular interactions." Between 1996 and 1998, she was a postdoctoral fellow at [Nagoya University](/source/Nagoya_University) with [Hisashi Yamamoto](/source/Hisashi_Yamamoto), before being appointed Bachem Assistant Professor at the [University of Basel](/source/University_of_Basel) in 1999. She held this post until 2003, where she was promoted to associate professor. In 2011, she moved to ETH Zurich as a professor of organic chemistry.
== Research ==
Wennemers' research focuses on [proline](/source/proline)-rich [peptide](/source/peptide)s.
*''[Asymmetric Catalysis](/source/Enantioselective_synthesis)'':
thumb|Tripeptidic catalyst of the H-Pro-Pro-Xaa type Wennemers led the development of tripeptides containing H-Pro-Pro-Xaa type sequences (Pro: [proline](/source/proline), Xaa: any [amine](/source/amine)) as [organocatalysts](/source/organocatalysis) for C–C bond formations based on an [enamine](/source/enamine) mechanism.[{{cite journal | last=Wennemers | first=Helma | title=Asymmetric catalysis with peptides | journal=Chemical Communications | publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) | volume=47 | issue=44 | year=2011 | pages=12036–12041 | issn=1359-7345 | doi=10.1039/c1cc15237h | pmid=21993353 }}] High [reactivity](/source/Reactivity_(chemistry)), [stereo](/source/stereoselectivity)- and [chemoselectivity](/source/chemoselectivity) for [aldol](/source/aldol_reaction)[{{cite journal | last1=Krattiger | first1=Philipp | last2=Kovasy | first2=Roman | last3=Revell | first3=Jefferson D. | last4=Ivan | first4=Stanislav | last5=Wennemers | first5=Helma | title=Increased Structural Complexity Leads to Higher Activity: Peptides as Efficient and Versatile Catalysts for Asymmetric Aldol Reactions | journal=Organic Letters | publisher=American Chemical Society (ACS) | volume=7 | issue=6 | date=24 February 2005 | issn=1523-7060 | doi=10.1021/ol0500259 | pages=1101–1103| pmid=15760149 }}] or [conjugate addition reactions](/source/Nucleophilic_conjugate_addition)[{{cite journal | last1=Wiesner | first1=Markus | last2=Revell | first2=Jefferson D. | last3=Wennemers | first3=Helma | title=Tripeptides as Efficient Asymmetric Catalysts for 1,4-Addition Reactions of Aldehydes to Nitroolefins–A Rational Approach | journal=Angewandte Chemie International Edition | publisher=Wiley | volume=47 | issue=10 | date=22 February 2008 | issn=1433-7851 | doi=10.1002/anie.200704972 | pages=1871–1874| pmid=18228232 }}][{{cite journal | last1=Wiesner | first1=Markus | last2=Neuburger | first2=Markus | last3=Wennemers | first3=Helma | title=Tripeptides of the Type H-D-Pro-Pro-Xaa-NH2as Catalysts for Asymmetric 1,4-Addition Reactions: Structural Requirements for High Catalytic Efficiency | journal=Chemistry – A European Journal | publisher=Wiley | volume=15 | issue=39 | date=5 October 2009 | issn=0947-6539 | doi=10.1002/chem.200901021 | pages=10103–10109| pmid=19697376 }}] can be achieved by varying the [absolute configuration](/source/absolute_configuration) of the single [amino acid](/source/amino_acid)s as well as the [functional group](/source/functional_group) of the Xaa residue. The modularity of the peptides enabled creation of [catalysts](/source/catalysis) capable of catalyzing the [conjugate addition reactions](/source/Nucleophilic_conjugate_addition) of [aldehyde](/source/aldehyde)s to [nitroolefins](/source/nitroalkene) with as little as 0.05 mol% of tripeptidic catalyst.[{{cite journal | last1=Schnitzer | first1=Tobias | last2=Wennemers | first2=Helma | title=Influence of the Trans/Cis Conformer Ratio on the Stereoselectivity of Peptidic Catalysts | journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society | publisher=American Chemical Society (ACS) | volume=139 | issue=43 | date=18 October 2017 | issn=0002-7863 | doi=10.1021/jacs.7b06194 | pages=15356–15362| pmid=29043799 }}]
She also worked on other [organocatalyzed transformations](/source/organocatalysis). Inspired by natural [polyketide](/source/polyketide) synthases—which use [malonic acid](/source/malonic_acid) half [thioester](/source/thioester)s (MAHTs) as [thioester](/source/thioester) [enolate](/source/enolate) equivalents — she developed organocatalytic methods for stereoselective [addition reaction](/source/addition_reaction)s of MAHTs (and protected variants monothiomalonates, MTMs) to [electrophile](/source/electrophile)s using [cinchona](/source/cinchona) [alkaloid](/source/alkaloid) derived catalysts. The introduction of fluorinated MAHTs and MTMs allowed for the [stereoselective](/source/stereoselectivity) introduction of [fluorine](/source/fluorine) substituents in [fluoroacetate](/source/fluoroacetate) aldol reactions[{{cite journal | last1=Saadi | first1=Jakub | last2=Wennemers | first2=Helma | title=Enantioselective aldol reactions with masked fluoroacetates | journal=Nature Chemistry | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=8 | issue=3 | date=18 January 2016 | issn=1755-4330 | doi=10.1038/nchem.2437 | pages=276–280| pmid=26892561 | bibcode=2016NatCh...8..276S }}] as well as further [addition reaction](/source/addition_reaction)s to [imine](/source/imine)s[{{cite journal | last1=Cosimi | first1=Elena | last2=Engl | first2=Oliver D. | last3=Saadi | first3=Jakub | last4=Ebert | first4=Marc-Olivier | last5=Wennemers | first5=Helma | title=Stereoselective Organocatalyzed Synthesis of α-Fluorinated β-Amino Thioesters and Their Application in Peptide Synthesis | journal=Angewandte Chemie International Edition | publisher=Wiley | volume=55 | issue=42 | date=6 October 2016 | issn=1433-7851 | doi=10.1002/anie.201607146 | pages=13127–13131| pmid=27632946 }}] and [nitroolefins](/source/nitroalkene).[{{cite journal | last1=Engl | first1=Oliver D. | last2=Fritz | first2=Sven P. | last3=Käslin | first3=Alexander | last4=Wennemers | first4=Helma | title=Organocatalytic Route to Dihydrocoumarins and Dihydroquinolinones in All Stereochemical Configurations | journal=Organic Letters | publisher=American Chemical Society (ACS) | volume=16 | issue=20 | date=7 October 2014 | issn=1523-7060 | doi=10.1021/ol502697s | pages=5454–5457| pmid=25290528 }}]
*''[Chemical Biology](/source/Chemical_Biology)'':
In chemical biology, Wennemers uses larger [proline](/source/proline)-rich [peptide](/source/peptide)s, such as [collagen](/source/collagen) model peptides or [oligoprolines](/source/polyproline_helix), for applications such as tumor targeting,[{{cite journal | last1=Kroll | first1=Carsten | last2=Mansi | first2=Rosalba | last3=Braun | first3=Friederike | last4=Dobitz | first4=Stefanie | last5=Maecke | first5=Helmut R. | last6=Wennemers | first6=Helma | title=Hybrid Bombesin Analogues: Combining an Agonist and an Antagonist in Defined Distances for Optimized Tumor Targeting | journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society | publisher=American Chemical Society (ACS) | volume=135 | issue=45 | date=31 October 2013 | issn=0002-7863 | doi=10.1021/ja4087648 | pages=16793–16796| pmid=24175716 }}] [cell penetration](/source/cell-penetrating_peptide)[{{cite journal | last1=Nagel | first1=Yvonne A. | last2=Raschle | first2=Philipp S. | last3=Wennemers | first3=Helma | title=Effect of Preorganized Charge-Display on the Cell-Penetrating Properties of Cationic Peptides | journal=Angewandte Chemie International Edition | publisher=Wiley | volume=56 | issue=1 | date=30 November 2016 | issn=1433-7851 | doi=10.1002/anie.201607649 | pages=122–126| pmid=27900805 }}] or [drug delivery](/source/drug_delivery). She utilized Cγ-functionalized proline derivatives for the functionalization and stabilization of short-chained collagen [triple helices](/source/triple_helix). Further, she introduced aminoproline[{{cite journal | last1=Siebler | first1=Christiane | last2=Erdmann | first2=Roman S. | last3=Wennemers | first3=Helma | title=Switchable Proline Derivatives: Tuning the Conformational Stability of the Collagen Triple Helix by pH Changes | journal=Angewandte Chemie International Edition | publisher=Wiley | volume=53 | issue=39 | date=1 August 2014 | issn=1433-7851 | doi=10.1002/anie.201404935 | pages=10340–10344| pmid=25088036 }}] and γ-azaproline[{{cite journal | last1=Aronoff | first1=Matthew R. | last2=Egli | first2=Jasmine | last3=Menichelli | first3=Massimiliano | last4=Wennemers | first4=Helma | title=γ‐Azaproline Confers pH Responsiveness and Functionalizability on Collagen Triple Helices | journal=Angewandte Chemie International Edition | publisher=Wiley | volume=58 | issue=10 | date=4 March 2019 | issn=1433-7851 | doi=10.1002/anie.201813048 | pages=3143–3146| pmid=30633447 | s2cid=58536577 }}] as [pH](/source/pH)-sensitive probes to tune the conformational stability of the [collagen](/source/collagen) [triple helix](/source/triple_helix) by [pH](/source/pH) change. In the field of [cell penetrating peptides](/source/cell-penetrating_peptide) (CPPs), Wennemers showed that preorganization of [cation](/source/cation)ic charges along an [oligoproline](/source/polyproline_helix) backbone enhanced the cellular uptake of CPPs compared to more flexible [oligoarginines](/source/arginine) with undefined charge display.[{{cite journal | last1=Corra | first1=Stefano | last2=Shoshan | first2=Michal S | last3=Wennemers | first3=Helma | title=Peptide mediated formation of noble metal nanoparticles — controlling size and spatial arrangement | journal=Current Opinion in Chemical Biology | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=40 | year=2017 | issn=1367-5931 | doi=10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.09.005 | pages=138–144| pmid=28961470 | doi-access=free }}] Recently, she reported peptide‐stabilized [platinum](/source/platinum) [nanoparticle](/source/nanoparticle)s that have greater [toxicity](/source/toxicity) against hepatic cancer cells (HepG2) than against other cancer cells and non‐cancerous liver cells.[{{cite journal | last1=Shoshan | first1=Michal S. | last2=Vonderach | first2=Thomas | last3=Hattendorf | first3=Bodo | last4=Wennemers | first4=Helma | title=Peptide‐Coated Platinum Nanoparticles with Selective Toxicity against Liver Cancer Cells | journal=Angewandte Chemie International Edition | publisher=Wiley | volume=58 | issue=15 | year=2019 | issn=1433-7851 | doi=10.1002/anie.201813149 | pages=4901–4905| pmid=30561882 | s2cid=56169559 }}] Wennemers also explored conjugates of oligoprolines and π-conjugated systems that form hierarchical [self-assemblies](/source/self-assembly) with diverse morphologies (e.g. nanofibers, nanorods, nanosheets). She used such a conjugate to prepare the first example of an extended triaxial [supramolecular](/source/supramolecular_chemistry) weave held together through the interplay of weak [non-covalent interactions](/source/non-covalent_interactions).[{{cite journal | last1=Lewandowska | first1=Urszula | last2=Zajaczkowski | first2=Wojciech | last3=Corra | first3=Stefano | last4=Tanabe | first4=Junki | last5=Borrmann | first5=Ruediger | last6=Benetti | first6=Edmondo M. | last7=Stappert | first7=Sebastian | last8=Watanabe | first8=Kohei | last9=Ochs | first9=Nellie A. K. | last10=Schaeublin | first10=Robin | last11=Li | first11=Chen | last12=Yashima | first12=Eiji | last13=Pisula | first13=Wojciech | last14=Müllen | first14=Klaus | last15=Wennemers | first15=Helma | title=A triaxial supramolecular weave | journal=Nature Chemistry | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=9 | issue=11 | date=24 July 2017 | issn=1755-4330 | doi=10.1038/nchem.2823 | pages=1068–1072| pmid=29064493 | bibcode=2017NatCh...9.1068L | s2cid=1248670 }}]
== Awards ==
Wennemers work was recognized by the Leonidas Zervas Award of the [European Peptide Society](/source/European_Peptide_Society) (2010),[{{cite web | title=Helma Wennemers erhält Leonidas Zervas Award | website=chemie.de | url=https://www.chemie.de/news/122561/helma-wennemers-erhaelt-leonidas-zervas-award.html | language=de | access-date=22 December 2021}}] the Pedler Award of the [Royal Society of Chemistry](/source/Royal_Society_of_Chemistry) (2016),[{{cite web | title=Prof. Helma Wennemers erhält den Pedler Award 2016 | website=ETH Zürich | date=13 May 2016 | url=https://chab.ethz.ch/news-und-veranstaltungen/d-chab-news/2016/05/wennemers-erhaelt-pedler-award-2016.html | language=de | access-date=22 December 2021}}] the Inhoffen Medal (2017),[{{cite web | title=Prof. Wennemers receives the Inhoffen Medal | website=Prof. Wennemers receives the Inhoffen Medal – Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences | date=10 March 2017 | url=https://chab.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/d-chab-news/2017/02/prof-wennemes-receives-the-inhoffen-medal-.html | access-date=22 December 2021}}] the Netherlands Scholar Award for Supramolecular Chemistry (2019),[{{cite web | title=Netherlands Scholar Award for Supramolecular Chemistry goes to Prof. Helma Wennemers | website=Netherlands Scholar Award for Supramolecular Chemistry goes to Prof. Helma Wennemers – Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences | date=14 January 2020 | url=https://chab.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/d-chab-news/2019/12/netherland-supramolecular-scholar-award-goes-to-prof-helma-wennemers.html | access-date=22 December 2021}}] the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award of the [American Chemical Society](/source/American_Chemical_Society) (2021),[{{cite web | title=ACS National Awards for Helma Wennemers & Peter Chen | website=ETH Zurich | date=19 August 2020 | url=https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/portrait/latest-honours-and-prizes/2020/08/acs-national-awards-fuer-helma-wennemers-peter-chen.html | access-date=22 December 2021}}] the Scoffone Prize of the Italian Peptide Society (2022), and the Vincent du Vigneaud Award of the American Peptide Society (2023). She also won ths 2020 Spark Award (invention) and the 2023 Golden Owl Award (teaching) from the ETH Zurich.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.wennemers.ethz.ch/ Homepage of the Wennemers group]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wennemers, Helma}}
Category:1969 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Offenbach am Main
Category:Academic staff of Goethe University Frankfurt
Category:Academic staff of the University of Basel
Category:Academic staff of ETH Zurich
Category:German expatriates in Switzerland
Category:German women chemists
Category:20th-century German chemists
Category:21st-century German chemists
Category:20th-century German women scientists
Category:21st-century women scientists
Category:German organic chemists
Category:21st-century German women
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Helma Wennemers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helma_Wennemers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helma_Wennemers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.