Herman Sintim will join the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame as the Grace-Rupley Professor of Chemical Biology beginning January 2025. Sintim will also take the role of Associate Director of the Harper Cancer Research Institute. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University.
Department Chair Steve Corcelli shared “We are delighted Herman is joining us at Notre Dame. He has an outstanding track record of innovative and impactful research discovering new drug molecules to treat cancer and drug-resistant bacteria. Herman will undoubtedly advance the University’s mission to be a force for good in the world through his efforts to combat these diseases.”
A highly respected expert in chemical biology and organic synthesis, Sintim’s major research focus is cyclic dinucleotide signaling in immune cells, cancer, and bacteria. One area of interest is overcoming antibiotic resistance through novel modes of drug action, such as targeting anti-virulence mechanisms to provide less incentive for bacteria to develop resistance. Another major thrust of work is the development of new anticancer agents. Moving beyond traditional chemotherapy, Sintim’s group studies next generation treatments, including kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy employing bacterial signaling molecules. To support all of these research aims, Sintim develops new methodologies to synthesize novel chemical libraries using multicomponent reactions and employs high throughput screening platforms to evaluate these compound libraries.
When asked about his move to Notre Dame, Sintim said “drug resistance in oncology and infectious diseases is a major healthcare challenge. Advances in synthetic chemistry as well as technological improvements in screening technologies have positioned the drug discovery community to provide innovative solutions to these perplexing resistance issues in medicine. Notre Dame Chemistry and Biochemistry has many drug discovery experts, and I am excited to join my illustrious new colleagues to continue the tradition of academic drug discovery excellence.”
Sintim received his B.Sc. in medicinal chemistry from University College London, followed by his D.Phil. in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford. After completing postdoctoral fellowships at Oxford and Stanford University, he began his career at the University of Maryland College Park before moving to Purdue University.