Marc Baldus
OccupationProfessor of NMR spectroscopy
EmployerUtrecht University
Known forSolid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, Structural biology

Marc Baldus is a physicist and professor of NMR spectroscopy at Utrecht University. He is especially known for his work in the field of structural biology using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy. He applies ssNMR methods to establish structure-function relationships in complex biomolecular systems including membrane and Amyloid proteins. In addition, he develops cellular NMR methods to study large molecular transport and insertion systems in bacteria as well as signal transduction mechanisms in eukaryotic cells.

Biography

Marc Baldus studied physics at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, after which he became a Diploma Student at the Department of Physics of University of Florida in Gainesville, USA. He obtained his PhD degree in 1996 from the ETH Zurich in Switzerland. After postdoctoral research at MIT and Leiden University he became group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany. In 2008 he became Full Professor of Structural Biology in the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research at Utrecht University in Utrecht.[1] From 2016 to 2019 he was scientific director of the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research.[2]

Research

Marc Baldus is an expert in the field of structural biology using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy. In addition, he develops cellular NMR methods for structural biology, such as Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) NMR spectroscopy and his research group at Utrecht University was the first group worldwide with a 527 GHz Solid State DNP-NMR spectrometer.[3][4] Baldus is also the coordinator of the uNMR-NL project, funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) with 18.5M Euro, to establish a national infrastructure for ultra-high field NMR spectroscopy, a joined initiative between Utrecht University, the Radboud University Nijmegen, Wageningen University,[5] Leiden University,[6] Eindhoven University of Technology and the Dutch public-private partnership COAST for the analytical sciences.[7] The uNMR-NL facility was officially opened by Dutch Undersecretary for Education, Culture and Science, Sander Dekker on November 5, 2015.[8][9]

The main focus of the research of Marc Baldus is the use of solid state NMR spectroscopy [10] to study the structure and dynamics of proteins and other biomolecules.[1] He has used the technology amongst others to study the behavior of bacterial proteins,[11][12] protein aggregation in Alzheimer's[13] and Parkinson's[14] disease, to study the effect of sugars on membrane behaviour,[15] for the analysis of membrane embedded proteins such as G-protein coupled receptors[16][17] and ion channels[18] and for the characterization of novel drug delivery systems.[19] In recent years, his attention has been focussed on the analysis of in-cell NMR[20] to study the structure and function of proteins in their native cellular environment.[21]

Honours and awards

Marc Baldus received the Founders Medal of the International Conference on Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems (ICMRBS) in August 2006.[22][23][24] In 2014, Marc Baldus received the Günther Laukien Prize from Richard Ernst, 1991 Nobel laureate in Chemistry. The prize recognizes cutting-edge experimental NMR research, is awarded yearly and is one of the most prestigious prizes in the field of NMR and MRI.[25][26]

References

  1. ^ a b "prof. dr. M. (Marc) Baldus". Utrecht University. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  2. ^ "Marc Baldus new scientific director of the Bijvoet Center". Utrecht University. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  3. ^ "University of Utrecht Orders Bruker's 527 GHz DNP-NMR System to Study Membrane Proteins". Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  4. ^ "Bruker Announces Installation of 527 GHz Solid State DNP-NMR Spectrometer at University of Utrecht". AZO Materials. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  5. ^ "18.5 million euro for large-scale NMR research facility". Wageningen University. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  6. ^ "18.5 miljoen euro voor grootschalige NMR onderzoeksfaciliteit" (in Dutch). Leiden University. 19 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  7. ^ "Utrecht coordinates collaboration in life sciences: 32 million euro for two large-scale research facilities". Instruct. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  8. ^ "Staatssecretaris Dekker opent uNMR-NL-faciliteit" (in Dutch). utrecht.nieuws.nl. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  9. ^ "State Secretary Dekker opens ultra-powerful 'MRI' for molecules". Utrecht University. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  10. ^ Philip Robinson (26 February 2009). "Crystal clear method for identifying powders". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  11. ^ "Wie Bakterien die Umwelt wahrnehmen" (in German). scinexx.de. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  12. ^ Sam Savage (14 June 2010). "How Bacteria Make Syringes". redOrbit. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  13. ^ Andronesi, Ovidiu C.; Bergen, Martin von; Biernat, Jacek; Seidel, Karsten; Griesinger, Christian; Mandelkow, Eckhard; Baldus, Marc (2008). "Characterization of Alzheimer's-like Paired Helical Filaments from the Core Domain of Tau Protein Using Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 130 (18): 5922–8. doi:10.1021/ja7100517. PMID 18386894.
  14. ^ Heise, H.; Hoyer, W.; Becker, S.; Andronesi, O. C.; Riedel, D.; Baldus, M. (2005). "Molecular-level secondary structure, polymorphism, and dynamics of full-length -synuclein fibrils studied by solid-state NMR". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102 (44): 15871–6. Bibcode:2005PNAS..10215871H. doi:10.1073/pnas.0506109102. PMC 1276071. PMID 16247008.
  15. ^ "Suikers van grote invloed op membranen" (in Dutch). NWO. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  16. ^ Luca, S.; White, J. F.; Sohal, A. K.; Filippov, D. V.; Van Boom, J. H.; Grisshammer, R.; Baldus, M. (2003). "The conformation of neurotensin bound to its G protein-coupled receptor" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (19): 10706–11. Bibcode:2003PNAS..10010706L. doi:10.1073/pnas.1834523100. PMC 196868. PMID 12960362.
  17. ^ Baldus, Marc (2018). "GPCR: Lock and key become flexible". Nature Chemical Biology. 14 (3): 201–202. doi:10.1038/nchembio.2567. PMID 29443979.
  18. ^ Lange, Adam; Giller, Karin; Hornig, Sönke; Martin-Eauclaire, Marie-France; Pongs, Olaf; Becker, Stefan; Baldus, Marc (2006). "Toxin-induced conformational changes in a potassium channel revealed by solid-state NMR". Nature. 440 (7086): 959–62. Bibcode:2006Natur.440..959L. doi:10.1038/nature04649. PMID 16612389. S2CID 4429604.
  19. ^ Koers, Eline J.; López-Deber, Maria Pilar; Weingarth, Markus; Nand, Deepak; Hickman, David T.; Mlaki Ndao, Dorin; Reis, Pedro; Granet, Anne; Pfeifer, Andrea; Muhs, Andreas; Baldus, Marc (2013). "Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR Spectroscopy: Revealing Multiple Conformations in Lipid-Anchored Peptide Vaccines". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 52 (41): 10905–8. doi:10.1002/anie.201303374. PMID 24039018.
  20. ^ Van Der Cruijsen, E. A. W.; Nand, D.; Weingarth, M.; Prokofyev, A.; Hornig, S.; Cukkemane, A. A.; Bonvin, A. M. J. J.; Becker, S.; Hulse, R. E.; Perozo, E.; Pongs, O.; Baldus, M. (2013). "Importance of lipid-pore loop interface for potassium channel structure and function". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 110 (32): 13008–13. Bibcode:2013PNAS..11013008V. doi:10.1073/pnas.1305563110. PMC 3740848. PMID 23882077.
  21. ^ Frank van Geel (December 10, 2011). "Nieuwe NMR ziet ook gevouwen eiwitten". Chemisch2Weekblad (in Dutch).
  22. ^ "Marc Baldus Receives Founders Medal". Chemical & Engineering News. 25 September 2006. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  23. ^ "Auszeichnung für Marc Baldus vom MPI für biophysikalische Chemie" (in German). Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie. 26 July 2006. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  24. ^ "M. Baldus erhalt Founders-Medaille" (PDF). Mitteilungsblatt der Fachgruppe Magnetische Resonanzspektroskopie (in German). Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker. December 2006. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  25. ^ "Marc Baldus receives prestigious Laukien Prize 2014". Instruct. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  26. ^ "Marc Baldus receives prestigious Laukien Prize 2014". COAST. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-04.[permanent dead link]

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