# Jonathan Sessler

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{{short description| American chemist (born 1956)}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name        = Jonathan L. Sessler
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| image       = File:Jonathan Sessler.jpg
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| caption     = Jonathan L. Sessler
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1956|05|20}}
| birth_place = [Urbana](/source/Urbana%2C_Illinois), [Illinois](/source/Illinois)
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| citizenship = American
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| workplaces  = [University of Texas at Austin](/source/University_of_Texas_at_Austin)
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| education   = BS at [University of California, Berkeley](/source/University_of_California%2C_Berkeley) <br /> PhD at [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) <br /> Postdoc at [Louis Pasteur University](/source/Louis_Pasteur_University)
| alma_mater  = University of California <br /> Stanford University
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| thesis_year = 1982
| doctoral_advisor = [James P. Collman](/source/James_P._Collman)<ref>{{cite web |title=Jonathan L Sessler |url=https://experts.utexas.edu/jonathan_sessler |website=utexas.edu |publisher=UT Experts}}</ref>
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| known_for   = {{Ubl
 | Synthesis of [Porphyrin](/source/Porphyrin)s, Synthesis and anticancer studies of [Texaphyrin](/source/Texaphyrin)
 }}
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| website     = <!--{{URL|http://kuchem.kyoto-u.ac.jp/shuyu/member/eng_osuka.html}}-->
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}}

'''Jonathan Sessler''' (born 20 May 1956 in [Urbana, Illinois](/source/Urbana%2C_Illinois)) is a [professor](/source/professor) of [chemistry](/source/chemistry) at [The University of Texas at Austin](/source/University_of_Texas_at_Austin).  He is notable for his pioneering work on expanded [porphyrin](/source/porphyrin)s and their applications to biology and medicine.  He is a co-founder of [Pharmacyclics, Inc.](/source/Pharmacyclics), a company that works with expanded porphyrins, and Anionics, Inc., which develops [anion](/source/anion) recognition chemistry. Pharmacyclics was sold to AbbVie for $21 billion in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.abbvie.com/news/abbvie-completes-acquisition-pharmacyclics.htm|title=AbbVie Completes Acquisition of Pharmacyclics {{!}} AbbVie Newsroom|website=news.abbvie.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-11|archive-date=2018-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129140509/https://news.abbvie.com/news/abbvie-completes-acquisition-pharmacyclics.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/03/04/abbvie-acquires-pharmacyclics/24416483/|title=AbbVie buys cancer drugmaker Pharmacyclics in $21B deal|work=USA TODAY|access-date=2018-07-11|language=en}}</ref>

== History and career ==
Sessler received his [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) in Chemistry in 1977 from the [University of California, Berkeley](/source/University_of_California%2C_Berkeley) and his [Ph.D.](/source/Ph.D.) in chemistry in 1982 from [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University).  He continued as a post-doctoral fellow at L'[Université Louis Pasteur](/source/Universit%C3%A9_Louis_Pasteur), and worked in [Kyoto, Japan](/source/Kyoto%2C_Japan) before becoming an assistant professor of chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin in 1984.

He is a three-time Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer survivor. He was treated for [cancer](/source/cancer) at [Stanford University Medical Center](/source/Stanford_University_Medical_Center) during work on his Ph.D.  Discussions with his colleagues regarding possible treatments eventually led to the discovery of so-called "[texaphyrin](/source/texaphyrin)" molecules, named as such due a semblance to the shape of the five-pointed star in the [State flag of Texas](/source/State_flag_of_Texas).[http://huumor.com/joke_3969 ],[http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/279/5355/1307b 10-Gallon Molecule Stomps Tumors]  In 1996, Sessler described possible uses of these compounds in medicine in the ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' journal.  He formed a company, Pharamcyclics, Inc., with Dr. Richard A. Miller whom treated him for his cancer. His company,which went [public](/source/Initial_public_offering) in 1995, licensed the technology behind "texaphyrins" from the university to develop commercial and medical uses for the molecules. The company was later acquired by Bob Duggan in the year 2008 as he became the largest shareholder of the company. 
200 px|thumb|Texaphyrin core Nitrogen superimpose with 5 points of the star featured on the state flag of Texas<ref>{{cite journal |title=Recent Developments in Texaphyrin Chemistry and Drug Discovery |journal=Inorg. Chem. |date=April 4, 2013 |volume=52 |issue=21 |doi=10.1021/ic400226g |url= |pmc=3963820 |last1=Preihs |first1=Christian |last2=Arambula |first2=Jonathan F. |last3=Magda |first3=Darren |last4=Jeong |first4=Heeyeong |last5=Yoo |first5=Dongwon |last6=Cheon |first6=Jinwoo |last7=Siddik |first7=Zahid H. |last8=Sessler |first8=Jonathan L. |pages=12184–12192 |pmid=23557113 }}</ref>
Sessler has written extensively, authoring or co-authoring over 600 publications.  In addition, he has co-authored two books and edited another two.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sessler.cm.utexas.edu/ewExternalFiles/Sessler_CV.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-05-31 |archive-date=2019-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531061742/http://sessler.cm.utexas.edu/ewExternalFiles/Sessler_CV.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>  He holds more than 70 U.S. [patent](/source/patent)s.  Dr. Sessler has received many awards and much recognition, as a [Sloan Fellow](/source/Sloan_Fellows) (1999), Fellow of the [AAAS](/source/American_Association_for_the_Advancement_of_Science) (1999), [Dreyfus](/source/The_Camille_and_Henry_Dreyfus_Foundation) Teacher-Scholar (1999), [ACS](/source/American_Chemical_Society) Cope Scholar (1999), recipient of the JSPS and [Alexander von Humboldt Senior Fellowships](/source/Alexander_von_Humboldt_Foundation) (1999), and winner of the Izatt-Christensen Award (1999).

Sessler has participated in hosting chemistry circuses on the UT campus.[http://www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut/chemistry_circus.html University Events | What Starts Here Changes the World], [https://web.archive.org/web/20050316003656/http://www.utexas.edu/opa/pubs/discovery/disc2000v15n4/disc_fun2.html UT DISCOVERY MAGAZINE v15n4 Science Fun Day photo]   These circuses are held for different grade levels from elementary to college, and aim to expose students to "fun" aspects of chemistry.  Sessler has also lectured on how the disease [Porphyria](/source/Porphyria), caused by a deficiency in porphyrins, may be related to the origin of myths about [vampire](/source/vampire)s and [werewolves](/source/werewolf).

In 2021, he was elected member of the U. S. [National Academy of Sciences](/source/National_Academy_of_Sciences).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2021-nas-election.html|title=News from the National Academy of Sciences|date=April 26, 2021|access-date=July 5, 2021|quote=Newly elected members and their affiliations at the time of election are: … Sessler, Jonathan L.; R.P. Doherty Jr.-Welch Regents Chair in Chemistry and professor, department of chemistry, University of Texas, Austin}}, entry in member directory:{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/2528062.html|title=Member Directory|access-date=July 5, 2021|publisher=National Academy of Sciences}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060505070420/http://www.cm.utexas.edu/directory/jonathan_sessler/ Jonathan L. Sessler] &mdash; Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin. Accessed 14 March 2006.
*[http://www.pharmacyclics.com/webpage_templates/tert.php3?page_name=history Company History & Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060321193558/http://www.pharmacyclics.com/webpage_templates/tert.php3?page_name=history |date=2006-03-21 }} &mdash; Phaymacyclics.com. Accessed 14 March 2006.
*[http://www.stanford.edu/dept/chemistry/events/sessler/2005/acknowledgement.html Jonathan Sessler Distinguished Lecture Series Acknowledgement] &mdash; Stanford University. Accessed 14 March 2006. {{password-protected}}
*[http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2009/01/Sessler_interview.asp "Interview: Discovering the Texas molecule"] - - Jonathan Sessler talks to The ''[Royal Society of Chemistry](/source/Royal_Society_of_Chemistry)'' about what motivated him to discover texaphyrin and about the aims of the companies he co-founded {{dead link|date=March 2017}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sessler, Jonathan}}
Category:1956 births
Category:Living people
Category:21st-century American chemists
Category:University of Texas at Austin faculty
Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jonathan Sessler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Sessler) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Sessler?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.