(2009)
Exploring the chemical space of microbial natural products.
Curr Opin Chem Biol 13(2),
133-134.

Prof. Dr. Christian Hertweck
Biomolecular Chemistry · Head +49 3641 532-1101 christian.hertweck@leibniz-hki.deCurriculum vitae
Main Research Areas
- Investigation of biosynthetic pathways of the secondary metabolism of bacteria and fungi
- Use of enzymes and recombinant microorganisms for synthetic implementation
- Isolation and structural identification of natural products
- Molecular basis of fungus-bacteria-interactions
Professional Career
2008 | Rejection of professorship, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Switzerland |
2008 – 2023 | Deputy Director at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) Jena, Germany |
2008 | Rejection of professorship, Technical University Munich, Germany |
Since 2006 | Head of Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, HKI Jena |
Since 2006 | Professor (W3) and chair of Natural Product Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), Germany |
2006 | Habilitation (Venia legendi) in organic chemistry, FSU Jena |
2005 | Rejection of professorship (W3), Rheinische Friedrich Willhelms University of Bonn, Germany |
2005 | Acceptance of professorship (W3), FSU Jena |
2001– 2005 | Head of junior research group, HKI Jena |
1999 – 2000 | Research assistant, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, funded through a Feodor Lynen fellowship for postdocs (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation) |
1996 – 1999 | PhD, Friedrich Willhelms University Bonn and Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, funded through a Max Planck doctoral fellowship |
1996 | Diploma in chemistry at the Friedrich Willhelms University Bonn, Germany |
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
2015 | Member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina |
2015 | Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award |
2015 | David Gottlieb Memorial Lecture Award, University of Illinois |
2014 | Wilhelm Manchot-Research Professor |
Since 2013 | Member of the editorial board Bioorganic Chemistry |
Since 2012 | Editor, Chemistry & Biology |
Since 2012 | Member of the faculty of 1000 |
Since 2011 | Member of the editorial board, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry |
Since 2011 | Member of the editorial board, Journal of Antibiotics |
2011 | NPR lecture award |
Since 2010 | Member of the editorial board, ChemBioChem |
2009 – 2012 | Member of the editorial board, Chemistry & Biology |
2006 | Research prize of the Dr. Otto Röhm-Memorial-Foundation |
Since 2005 | Member of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) |
2005 | DECHEMA award for natural product research |
2005 | Science award for life sciences and physics from the Beutenberg Campus Jena e.V. |
2005 | Thuringian research award (category: basic research) |
Since 2003 | Member of the programme committee, Natural Product Meeting, Irsee |
Since 2002 | Member of the DECHEMA Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology |
Since 2001 | Member of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) |
Publications
(2009)
Structure and alignment of the membrane-associated peptaibols ampullosporin A and alamethicin by oriented 15N and 31P solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
Biophys J 96(1),
86-8100.
(2009)
Triggering cryptic natural product biosynthesis in microorganisms.
Org Biomol Chem 7(9),
1753-1760.
(2009)
Intimate bacterial-fungal interaction triggers biosynthesis of archetypal polyketides in Aspergillus nidulans.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106(34),
14558-14563.
(2009)
Ketosynthase III as a gateway to engineering the biosynthesis of antitumoral benastatin derivatives.
J Biotechnol 140(1-2),
107-113.
(2008)
Activation of fungal silent gene clusters: a new avenue to drug discovery.
Prog Drug Res 66,
1, 3-1,12.
(2008)
Orchestration of discoid polyketide cyclization in the resistomycin pathway.
J Am Chem Soc 130(26),
8307-8316.
(2008)
Exploiting the mosaic structure of trans-acyltransferase polyketide synthases for natural product discovery and pathway dissection.
Nat Biotechnol 26(2),
225-233.
(2008)
Lack of evidence of endosymbiotic toxin-producing bacteria in clinical Rhizopus isolates.
Mycoses 51(3),
266-269.
(2008)
Evolution of host resistance in a toxin-producing bacterial-fungal alliance.
ISME J 2(6),
632-641.