Continuous chemical processes have attracted both academic and industrial interest.¹ In this lecture I will discuss a 12 year long journey starting from continuous photochemistry using singlet oxygen to the development of a method to produce the anti-malaria medication artemisinin from plant waste, air and light.² Using synthetic probes, the mechanism of action used by artemisinin to kill cancer cells was discovered.³ Human clinical trials to prevent recurrence of several types of cancer are underway in the USA. Finally, plants containing artemisinin showed interesting activity against viral infections.⁴

I will provide a quick introduction to the “Center for the Transfomation of Chemistry” a new major research center we are currently establishing in Germany focusing among other areas on catalysis.

Selected References:

1) Plutschack, M.; Pieber, B.; Gilmore, K.; Seeberger, P.H.; Chem.Rev. 2017, 117, 11796.

2) Lévesque, F.; Seeberger, P. H. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 1706. (b) Kopetzki, D. Lévesque, F.; Seeberger, P. H. Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 5450; c) Gilmore, K.; Kopetzki, D.; Lee, J.W.; Horvath, Z.; Horosanskaia, E.; McQuade, D.T.; Lorenz, H.; Seidel-Morgenstern, A.; Seeberger, P.H.; Chem. Comm. 2014, 50, 12652; d) Triemer, S.; Gilmore, K.; Truong Vu, G.; Seeberger, P.H.; Seidel-Morgenstern, A.; Angew.Chem.Int.Ed. 2018, 57, 5525

3) Qiu, N.; Abegg, D.; Guidi, M.; Gilmore, K.; Seeberger, P.H.; Adibekian, A.; Cell Chem. Bio. 2022, 29, 530.

4) Zhou, Y.; Gilmore, K.; Ramirez, S.; Settels, E.; Gammeltoft, K.A.; Pham, L.V.; Fahnøe, U.; Feng, S.; Offersgaard, A., Trimpert, J.; Bukh, J.; Osterrieder, K.; Gottwein, J.M.; Seeberger, P.H.; Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 14571.

5) Nie, C.; Trimpert, J.; Moon, S.; Haag, R.; Gilmore, K.; Kaufer, B.B.; Seeberger, P.H.; Virology J. 2021, 18, 182.