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.
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces