Peter Dervan

Peter B. Dervan ( born June 28, 1945 in Boston) is an American chemist who deals with bio-organic chemistry.

Biography

Dervan studied at Boston College (Bachelor 1967) and in 1972 received his doctorate from Yale University with Jerome A. Berson in organic physical chemistry. As a post - graduate student, he was a Fellow of the National Institutes of Health ( NIH) at Stanford University. He is since 1973 Professor at Caltech ( Bren Professor of Chemistry ).

Dervan is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a foreign member of the Academie des Sciences, and since 2004 a member of the Leopoldina.

He is married to Jacqueline K. Barton Professor of Chemistry.

Work

Dervan developed novel synthetic molecules which are comparable in their specificity and affinity to any given DNA sequences of naturally occurring proteins. He thus opened an entirely new field of bioorganic chemistry. It also allows for novel drugs against cancer and other diseases that are caused by abnormal gene expression by small molecules are synthesized, the enter the cell and bind to predetermined DNA sites.

Honors

  • National Medal of Science ( 2006)
  • Linus Pauling Medal ( 1999)
  • Harvey Prize (2002)
  • Willard Gibbs Medal ( 1993)
  • Kirkwood Medal ( 1998)
  • Remsen Award ( 1998)
  • Nichols Medal ( 1994)
  • Arthur C. Cope Award ( 1993)
  • Harrison Howe Award ( 1988)
  • Maison de la Chimie Foundation Prize (1996 )
  • Max Tishler Prize (1999)
  • Richard C. Tolman Medal ( 1999)
  • Tetrahedron Prize (2000)
  • Wilbur Cross Medal ( 2005)
  • Ronald Breslow Award ( 2005)

Writings (selection )

  • HE Moser Sequence specific cleavage of double helical DNA by triple helix formation, Science, Volume 238, 1987, p 645-650
  • With S. White, J. W. Szewczyk, JM Turner, EE Baird Recognition of the four Watson -Crick base pairs in the DNA minor groove by synthetic ligands, Nature, vol 391, 1998, pp. 468-471
  • With CL Kielkopf, S. White, JW Szewczyk, JM Turner, EE Baird, D. Rees A structural basis for recognition of AT and TA base pairs in the minor groove of B-DNA, Science, Volume 282, 1998, p 111 -115
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