Lennart Bunch

Lennart Bunch is a Full Professor in the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, where he leads the BUNCH research group and serves as Director of the Center for Medicinal Chemistry since 2021. His leadership extends to heading the Medicinal Chemistry Section and serving on multiple educational committees within the department.

His academic journey includes a PhD in organic/medicinal chemistry from the University of Copenhagen (1998-2002), MSc in organic chemistry from Florida State University (1996-1998), and BSc in Chemical Engineering from DTU (1992-1996), complemented by postgraduate training in research leadership and higher education pedagogy.

Professor Bunch's research integrates medicinal and organic chemistry with a neuropharmacological focus, targeting CNS disorders through rational ligand design for glutamate receptors (iGluRs, mGluRs), GABA_A receptors, and excitatory amino acid transporters. His group pioneers synthetic methodologies including anion-accelerated electrocyclic ring-opening reactions for phenol/aniline synthesis and novel heterocyclic systems, while exploring natural products like caramboxin as drug discovery leads.

Analysis of his 2022-2025 publications reveals a strategic focus on achieving unprecedented receptor subtype selectivity, exemplified by the first GluK5-selective ligand, GluK3 antagonist, and picomolar mGlu2 agonist (LBG30300), demonstrating mastery in structure-based design and SAR optimization for neurological targets.

He actively mentors PhD students (Christoffer Mentz, Effimia Valavani, Shengxiao Qi) and postdocs through biweekly project meetings and an open-door policy, while securing external funding for his research group. His international collaborations span pharmacological validation and methodological development across multiple continents.

The BUNCH group maintains a vibrant English-language research environment with members from diverse nationalities, emphasizing high-impact publications (87 outputs) and translational applications in CNS drug discovery through partnerships with global pharmaceutical researchers.