Lars Baumann

DFG Postdoctoral Fellow

 

  • 2013  Visiting Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, supervised by Prof. M. J. Smit
  • 2012-2013  Research Scientist, Universität Leipzig, Germany, supervised by Prof. A. G. Beck-Sickinger
  • 2007  Visiting Researcher, Panum Institute, Denmark, supervised by Prof. M. M. Rosenkilde
  • 2007-2012  Doctoral studies, Universität Leipzig, Germany, supervised by Prof. A.G. Beck-Sickinger
    Thesis: Development of Novel Synthesis Strategies to Study and Modulate Chemokine Function.
  • 2002-2007 Diploma Biochemistry, Universität Leipzig, Germany

 

Phone:  604-822-9300
Email:  baumann(at)chem.ubc.ca

 

RESEARCH INTEREST

In the center of my research stand therapeutic relevant proteins and strategies for efficient modifications to study their function and make them “smarter” for medical applications. Particularly I am interested in understanding chemokines and their receptors, a multi-ligand/multi-receptor system which orchestrates most parts of the complex immune response in higher organisms. To reach those goals I employ classical biochemical methods, cell culture techniques as well as solid-phase peptide chemistry and all kinds of bioconjugation strategies.

In Withers’ lab I work on glyco-engineering of biopharmaceuticals with focus on sialylation/desialylation by using chemo-enzymatic approaches. Suitable enzymes being armed with new activities in iterative rounds of directed evolution in order to efficiently install novel sugar derivatives.

 

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Steinhagen M, Hoffmeister PG, Nordsieck K, Hötzel R, Baumann L, Hacker MC, Schulz-Siegmund M, Beck-Sickinger AG. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) mediated release of MMP-9 resistant stromal cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) from surface modified polymer films. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2014; 6(8): 5891-9.
  2. Baumann L, Steinhagen M, Beck-Sickinger AG. Preparation of C-terminally modified chemokines by expressed protein ligation. Methods Mol Biol. 2013; 1047: 103-18.
  3. Baumann L, Beck-Sickinger AG. Photoactivatable chemokines–controlling protein activity by light. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2013; 52(36): 9550-3.
  4. Rummel PC, Arfelt KN, Baumann L, Jenkins TJ, Thiele S, Lüttichau HR, Johnsen A, Pease J, Ghosh S, Kolbeck R, Rosenkilde MM. Molecular requirements for inhibition of the chemokine receptor CCR8 -probe-dependent allosteric interactions. Br J Pharmacol. 2012; 167(6): 1206-17.
  5. Baumann L, Prokoph S, Gabriel C, Freudenberg U, Werner C, Beck-Sickinger AG. A novel, biased-like SDF-1 derivative acts synergistically with starPEG-based heparin hydrogels and improves eEPC migration in vitro. J Control Release. 2012; 162(1): 68-75.
  6. Pichert A, Samsonov SA, Theisgen S, Thomas L, Baumann L, Schiller J, Beck-Sickinger AG, Huster D, Pisabarro MT. Characterization of the interaction of interleukin-8 with hyaluronan, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and their sulfated derivatives by spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Glycobiology. 2012; 22(1): 134-45.
  7. Bellmann-Sickert K, Baumann L, Beck-Sickinger AG. Selective labelling of stromal cell-derived factor 1α with carboxyfluorescein to study receptor internalisation. J Pept Sci. 2010; 16(10): 568-74.
  8. Baumann L, Beck-Sickinger AG. Identification of a potential modification site in human stromal cell-derived factor-1. Biopolymers. 2010; 94(6): 771-8.
  9. David R, Günther R, Baumann L, Lühmann T, Seebach D, Hofmann HJ, Beck-Sickinger AG. Artificial chemokines: combining chemistry and molecular biology for the elucidation of interleukin-8 functionality. J Am Chem Soc. 2008; 130(46): 15311-7.