Prof. Kurt Vesterager Gothelf

Full professor at the Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Director of the Center for Multifunctional Biomolecular Drug Design (CEMBID) and coordinator of the DNA-Robotics (H2020, ITN-MSCA)

Supervisor of ESRs 5 & 6, external co-supervisor of ESRs 2, 3, 7 and 8; lead of WP5

“Continous sensing of biomolecules in a diffuicult but also very important goal with great implications for the healthcare sector if successful. I believe we have put totegter a great team with CONSENSE to pursue this goal and train next generation researchers in this area.”

The research in Gothelfs group at Aarhus University is based on organic chemistry and branches out into DNA nanotechnology, bioconjugation, nucleic acid chemistry, medicinal chemistry and biosensors. Currently, Kurt Gothelf leads the Center for Multifunctional Biomolecular Drug Design within the Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme. The goal is to develop new multifunctional drugs based on self-assembling oligonucleotide scaffolds including proteins, peptides and small molecules through oligonucleotide-based assembly. In conjunction with this, the group has a strong focus on developing new protein-DNA conjugation methods. Gothelf is also coordinator of the Marie-Sklodowsky-Marie ITN DNA-Robotics that uses DNA nanotechnology.

Gothelf was in charge of the DNRF Centre for DNA Nanotechnology (2007-2017) and has explored artificial DNA nanostructures, especially in combination with synthetic organic chemistry. In connection to this Gothelf has been and is coordinator of the two Marie-Sklodowsky-Marie ITNs European School of DNA Nanotechnology (EScoDNA) and DNA-Robotics. Gothelf has also engaged in the development of chemo- and biosensors for the past 15 years. From 2015-2019 he was in charge of the DETECT Innovation Fund. The purpose of the DETECT project has been to develop a point-of-care-testing devise for quantification of specific small molecule drugs in blood. In connection to this the start-upcompany MedicQuant was established.   

A Reagent for Amine-Directed Conjugation to IgG1 Antibodies

Märcher, A.; Palmfeldt, J.; Nisavic, M.; Gothelf, K. V. Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed. Published online: https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202013911

Quantitative Detection of Digoxin in Plasma Using Small-Molecule Immunoassay in a Recyclable Gravity-Driven Microfluidic Chip

Li, H.; Sørensen; J. V.; Gothelf, K.V. Adv. Sci., 2018, doi: 10.1002/advs.201802051

Docking of Antibodies into Cavities in DNA Origami Structures

Quyang, X.; De Stefano, M.; Krissanaprasit, A.; Kodal, A. L. B.; Rosen, C. B.; Liu, T.; Helmig, S.; Fan, C.; Gothelf, K. V. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 14423-14427. doi: 10.1002/anie.201706765.

Routing of individual polymers in designed patterns.

Knudsen, J. B.; Liu, L.; Bank Kodal, A. L.; Madsen, M.; Li, Q.; Song, J.; Woehrstein, J. B.; Wickham, S. F.; Strauss, M. T.; Schueder, F.; Vinther, J.; Krissanaprasit, A.; Gudnason, D.; Smith, A. A.; Ogaki, R.; Zelikin, A. N.; Besenbacher, F.; Birkedal, V.; Yin, P.; Shih, W. M.; Jungmann, R.; Dong, M.; Gothelf, K.V. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2015, 10, 892-898, doi: 10.1038/nnano.2015.190

Template-Directed Covalent Conjugation of DNA to Native Antibodies, Transferrin and other Metal-Binding Proteins

Rosen, C. B.; Kodal, A. L. B.; Nielsen, J. S.; Schaffert, D. H.; Scavenius, C.; Okholm, A. H.; Voigt, N. V.; , Enghild, J. J.; Kjems, J.; Tørring, T.; Gothelf, K. V. Nature Chem. 2014, 6, 804–809.

A DNA-Mediated Homogeneous Binding Assay for Proteins and Small Molecules

Zhang, Z.; Hejesen, C.; Kjelstrup, M. B.; Birkedal, V. B.; Gothelf, K. V. J. Am, Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 11115-11120.

An RNA Aptamer-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for Detection of Theophylline in Serum

Ferapontova,E. E.; Olsen, E. M.; Gothelf, K. V. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 4256-4258.