Team Leader

SCIENTIFIC DEGREES AND TITLES:

2004- prof. of Chemical Sciences, Center of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) in Łódź; 1991- D.Sc. in Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Technology in Łódź; 1981 – PhD in Chemical Sciences, Center of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies PAS in Łódź; 1973- MSc, Eng. in Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology in Łódź.

JOB POSITIONS RELATED TO SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY:

1997 – present, Institute of Medical Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) in Łódź (former Centre of Medical Biology PAS, former Centre of Medical Biology and Microbiology PAS), professor, (1997-2002, associate professor). 1997-2019, head of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology and Biological Chemistry; 2019-present, head of the Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry; 2009-2012, director of the Institute of Medical Biology PAS; 2004-2008, acting deputy director of the Centre of Medical Biology (formerly: Centre of Microbiology and Virology) PAS; 2002-2003, acting director of the Centre of Microbiology and Virology PAS; 1992-1996 researcher at Emory University, and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; 1974-1994, Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies PAS, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry: 1992-1994 assistant professor, 1983-1992 lecturer, 1976-1983 senior assistant, 1975-1976 assistant. 2010-present, coordinator of the POL-OPENSCREEN consortium; 2021-present, head of the National Library of Chemical Compounds

RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS:

2017 – Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan; 2013 – A.N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds (INEOS) RAS, Moscow, Russia; 2012 – Gakushuin University Faculty of Science, Tokyo, Japan; 2001 – Tohoku University, Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Sendai, Japan; 2000/2001 – Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Nucleic Acids Therapeutics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; 1992-1996 – Emory University, Department of Pediatrics, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Fulbright Foundation scholarship holder; 1990 – European Laboratory of Molecular Biology (EMBL), Haidelberg, Germany; 1987 – Max-Planck Institut für Experimentelle Medizin, Goettingen, Germany; 1981-1983 – University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; 1976 – Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry CAS, Prague, Czechoslovakia.

MEMBERSHIP IN INSTITUTIONS, CORPORATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS:

1981- present, Polish Chemical Society (2003-2010, member of the Board of the Łódź PTCh Branch), Societas Scientiarum Lodziensis, 2007-present.
RESEARCH: Synthesis, studies of the physicochemical and biological properties of modified nucleosides, nucleotides and DNA/RNA-oligonucleotides containing boron clusters and their complexes with metals, the relationship between the structure and physicochemical and biological properties of modified DNA/RNA-oligonucleotides and their components, modified nucleic acids as new materials for molecular technologies, biotherapeutics, nanomaterials and molecular probes Nucleoside derivatives with antiviral, antitumor and purinergic receptor modulating activity. Boron carriers for boron neutron capture therapy of tumors (BNCT).

SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW FIELD OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY – MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY OF BORON CLUSTERS

• Development (not available so far) methods for modification of purine nucleosides with boron clusters.
• Synthesis and identification of several nucleoside-boron cluster conjugates with anticancer, antiviral and purinergic receptors modulating activities.

CONTRIBUTION TO NUCLEIC ACID CHEMISTRY

• Contribution to the development methods for steroselective synthesis of P-chiral DNA/RNA-oligonucleotide analogues and development of the first method based on transesterification reaction.
• Development of several general methods for modification of DNA/RNA-oligomers and their nucleoside components with boron clusters, including “click chemistry” (“chemical ligation”) methodology.
• Development of new class of redox labels for electrochemical DNA detection based on boron clusters and their complexes with metals.
• Development of new type of bionanomaterial based on composites of DNA and boron clusters and their use as carriers of therapeutic nucleic acids.

Address:
Institute of Medical Biology PAS,
Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry
Lodowa 106, 93-232 Lodz,
tel.:  (0)48 42 209 33 80
fax:  (0)48 42-272 36 30
e-mail: zlesnikowski@cbm.pan.pl