معرفی
Jason Micklefield is a Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Manchester's School of Chemistry and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. His research focuses on sustainable bio-inspired molecular synthesis, integrating organic chemistry, enzymology, and molecular microbiology. He holds an honorary Visiting Professorship at East China University of Science and Technology. Micklefield earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge in 1993 and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Washington before joining Manchester in 1998. His lab specializes in biosynthesis pathway engineering, biocatalysis, and nucleic acid chemistry.
Education:
- PhD in Chemistry (1993), University of Cambridge
- NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Washington, USA (1993–1995)
- Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, Birkbeck College, University of London (1995–1998)
Research Themes:
- Biosynthesis of novel antibiotics to combat AMR, including pathway engineering for agrochemicals and drug discovery.
- Biocatalysis and integrated catalysis for sustainable synthesis of pharmaceuticals, focusing on amide ligases and halogenases.
- Nucleic acid therapeutics and riboswitch engineering for synthetic genetic control.
Key Achievements:
- Discovered CfaL ligases enabling amide synthesis without protecting groups.
- Engineered vitamin K-dependent carboxylases for novel antibiotic pathways.
- Developed orthogonal riboswitches for synthetic biology applications.
Awards:
- RSC Bader Award (2019)
- NPR Lecture Award
Lab & Collaborations: The interdisciplinary Micklefield Lab includes chemists, biochemists, and bioinformaticians. Projects include MESNA (modified nucleic acid synthesis) and collaborations on sustainable chemical manufacturing.
