The ChemBioNAC team (11 permanent researchers) led by Prof. Michael Smietana is part of the Nucleic Acids Department at the Institute of Biomolecules Max Mousseron in Montpellier (France). Our expertise focuses on the chemical biology of nucleic acids and relies in the design, synthesis and analysis of natural or modified oligonucleotides for diagnostic, sensing and therapeutic purposes. The scope of our research also extends to the use of nucleic acids as functional systems in biology and also in synthetic chemistry. Bioinspired systems have been designed and engineered to understand, mimic or trigger biological processes. The team is well known for its expertise in the chemical synthesis of modified DNAs or RNAs for different applications. Over the last few years, we have gained undeniable experience in the methodology of natural and modified DNA and RNA synthesis. The team is equipped with 2 oligonucleotide synthesizers (1  ABI, 1 MerMade) dedicated to the automated synthesis of DNA or RNA, 6 HPLC devices for the analysis and the purification of oligonucleotides and 1 MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer for their characterization. The team has also access to the IBMM analytical platform of (NMR and Mass spectrometers).

Our Themes

Synthesis of natural or modified DNA and RNA, Synthesis of DNA Glycoclusters, Synthesis of Capped RNA, Synthesis of RNA Prodrugs, RNA microarrays

Synthesis of methyl transferases inhibitors, Synthesis of Carbonic anhydrases inhibitors, Synthesis of polymerases inhibitors, Synthesis of Cyclic dinucleotides

DNA-based enantioselective synthesis, DNA-templated ligations, Split-aptamers, Bioinspired phosphodiesters foldamers.

The members of the team

Michael SMIETANA

TEAM LEADER

Michael Smietana was educated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.  He received his PhD in 2001 from the University of Strasbourg under the guidance of the late Dr Charles Mioskowski. He then joined Stanford University as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Eric Kool’s group for two years. In 2004, he moved to the University of Montpellier as an Assistant Professor, working in the Nucleic Acids Department of the Institute of Biomolecules Max Mousseron (IBMM). He was appointed Associate Professor in 2010 and Full Professor in 2012. In 2018 he received the Jean-Marie Lehn award from the Organic Chemistry Division of the French Chemical Society. Since 2020 he leads the ChemBioNAC team at Institute of Biomolecules Max Mousseron. His current research interests focus on molecular recognition, DNA-based asymmetric catalysis and nucleic acid bioconjugates.

ADLER Pauline
Pauline Adler

Assistant Professor (permanent staff)

Pauline Adler was educated at the École Normale Supérieure in Cachan, where she successfully passed the “Agrégation” of Physics and Chemistry. She received her PhD of the University of Paris-Saclay – Paris-Sud in 2016 under the direction of Dr. Nicolas Rabasso, on the study of the synthesis and reactivity of...

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Romain Amador

graduate student

MEYER Albert
Albert Meyer

research engineer (permanent staff)

Team Publications