Celebrating François’ Successful PhD Defense!

Congratulations, François!

| by Helena Costa Pereira

On Friday, January 17, 2025, François achieved another milestone by successfully defending his PhD thesis, titled "Metabolism-Guided Lead Optimization of Antimycobacterial Nitrobenzothiazinones". Surrounded by colleagues, family, and friends, François presented his work, which has significantly advanced the understanding of the hydride Meisenheimer complex metabolism of benzothiazinones.
His research provides a strong foundation for developing a new generation of antimycobacterial nitrobenzothiazinones, with potential implications for combating mycobacterial infections. François' work involved a wide array of disciplines, including medicinal and synthetic chemistry, enzymology, and biology. This interdisciplinary effort was supported by collaborations both within the Leibniz-HKI, and with external partners such as the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne.
We thank François for his dedication and hard work over the years. Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement, and we wish you all the best in his future career!

Publications

Keiff F, Bernal FA, Joch M, Jacques Dit Lapierre TJW, Li Y, Liebing, P, Dahse HM, Vilotijevic I, Kloss F (2024) Modulation of the Meisenheimer complex metabolism of nitro-benzothiazinones by targeted C-6 substitution. Commun Chem 7(1), 153.  doi: 10.1038/s42004-024-01235-x

Torres-Gómez H, Keiff F, Hortschansky P, Bernal F, Kerndl V, Meyer, F, Messerschmidt N, Dal Molin M, Krüger T, Rybniker J, Brakhage AA, Kloss F (2024) Replacement of the essential nitro group by electrophilic warheads towards nitro-free antimycobacterial benzothiazinones. Eur J Med Chem 279, 11684 doi: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116849

François Keiff