Profile
Prof. Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger
Head of Biochemistry an Bioorganic Chemistry Group
Institute of Biochemistry - University of Leipzig
Phone: +49-341-97 36901
Annette G. Beck-Sickinger studied chemistry and biology at the University of Tübingen (Germany) and received her Ph. D. under the supervision of G. Jung (Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen). She was working as research fellow with R. A. Houghten (Scripps Clinic & Research Foundation, La Jolla, USA 1988) and T. W. Schwartz (Rigshospitalet Copenhagen, Denmark) and performed a post-doctorate with E. Carafoli (Laboratory of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich). She was appointed as assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Biochemistry at ETH Zürich. Since October 1999, she is full professor of Biochemistry and Bioorganic Chemistry. In 2009 she spent a sabbatical at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) as visiting professor, which led to an ongoing collaboration between both universities and funding by Max-Kade Foundation.
Annette Beck-Sickinger was a member of the Board of the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, 2004-2012; Vice-President 2006-2008) and of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) (2017-2023; president of the GBM from 2019-2021). She has been member of the Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) (2012-2018) and elected member of the DFG panel (Fachkollegium) “Basics in Medicine/Biochemistry” (2004-2012, spokesperson 2008-2012).
She has been awarded with many prices including the Leonidas Zervas Award of the European Peptide Society (1998), the gold medal of the Max-Bergmann-Kreis (2009), the Leipzig Science Award (2016), the Albrecht Kossel Price of the German Chemical Society (2018), the Vincent Du Vigneaud Award of the American Peptide Society (2019), the Chemistry Europe Fellow award (European Chemistry Science Publishings, 2019), the Friedrich-Willstätter-Award for Chemical Biology (2023) and the IUPAC Award "Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering" (2023). She was honoured with the Saxonian Order of Merit (2017), the membership of the Saxon Academy of Science and Humanities in 2009 and The Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony (2021). In 2012, she became an elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Since 2021, Annette Beck-Sickinger is a member of the Senate of the DFG.
Her major research fields are structure-activity-relationships of peptide and protein ligands activating G protein coupled receptors and protein modification to study molecular interactions. A tight connection of chemical methods, bioorganic synthesis and molecular biology tools, including cloning, receptor mutagenesis, protein expression and cell biochemistry is applied. Whereas in the first field, her interests go towards medicinal chemistry, identification of novel targets and novel therapeutic concepts e. g. in the field of cancer and obesity, the second field is related to biomaterials, novel approaches to modify proteins and concepts for improved drug delivery.
She is member of the DFG-funded CRC 1052 (Obesity Mechanisms) and spokesperson of the CRC1423 (Structural Dynamics in GPCR Activation and Signaling)
Annette Beck-Sickinger was a member of the Board of the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, 2004-2012; Vice-President 2006-2008) and of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) (2017-2023; president of the GBM from 2019-2021). She has been member of the Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat) (2012-2018) and elected member of the DFG panel (Fachkollegium) “Basics in Medicine/Biochemistry” (2004-2012, spokesperson 2008-2012).
She has been awarded with many prices including the Leonidas Zervas Award of the European Peptide Society (1998), the gold medal of the Max-Bergmann-Kreis (2009), the Leipzig Science Award (2016), the Albrecht Kossel Price of the German Chemical Society (2018), the Vincent Du Vigneaud Award of the American Peptide Society (2019), the Chemistry Europe Fellow award (European Chemistry Science Publishings, 2019), the Friedrich-Willstätter-Award for Chemical Biology (2023) and the IUPAC Award "Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering" (2023). She was honoured with the Saxonian Order of Merit (2017), the membership of the Saxon Academy of Science and Humanities in 2009 and The Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony (2021). In 2012, she became an elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Since 2021, Annette Beck-Sickinger is a member of the Senate of the DFG.
Her major research fields are structure-activity-relationships of peptide and protein ligands activating G protein coupled receptors and protein modification to study molecular interactions. A tight connection of chemical methods, bioorganic synthesis and molecular biology tools, including cloning, receptor mutagenesis, protein expression and cell biochemistry is applied. Whereas in the first field, her interests go towards medicinal chemistry, identification of novel targets and novel therapeutic concepts e. g. in the field of cancer and obesity, the second field is related to biomaterials, novel approaches to modify proteins and concepts for improved drug delivery.
She is member of the DFG-funded CRC 1052 (Obesity Mechanisms) and spokesperson of the CRC1423 (Structural Dynamics in GPCR Activation and Signaling)