Martin D. Burke
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Johns Hopkins University B.A. (1998)
Nobel Laureate Signature Award[2]
Martin D. Burke | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 5, 1976 |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Ph.D. (2003), M.D. (2005) Johns Hopkins University B.A. (1998) |
| Awards | Beckman Young Investigators Award[1] Nobel Laureate Signature Award[2] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic Chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
| Thesis | A synthesis strategy for generating diverse skeletons of small molecules combinatorially (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor | Stuart L. Schreiber |
| Other academic advisors | Henry Brem and Gary H. Posner |
| Website | www |
Martin D. Burke (born February 5, 1976, in Westminster, Maryland) is the May and Ving Lee Professor for Chemical Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,[3] and Associate Dean of Research in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.[4] Burke pioneered blocc chemistry - a modular, machine-compatible approach to small molecule synthesis [5]. His group developed MIDA and TIDA boronates, enabling iterative C-C bond formation, universal purification, an automation-friendly synthesis. These discoveries have powered over 1000 publications and 300 patents across hundreds of laboratories worldwide.
Burke was born on February 5, 1976, in Westminster, Maryland.[4] Burke studied chemistry as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, graduating in 1998 with his B.A. in Chemistry. While an undergraduate, he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellow, and he conducted research with Professors Henry Brem and Gary H. Posner on derivatives of calcitriol as potential drug candidates.[6][7] Burke went on to Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. and M.D. in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Burke conducted his Ph.D. thesis work with Professor Stuart L. Schreiber on the combinatorial synthesis of small molecules with diverse skeletons.[8][9][10]
Independent career
He joined the Department of Chemistry in 2005 as an Assistant Professor, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011, then to full Professor in 2014. He was appointed Associate Dean of Research of the Carle-Illinois College of Medicine in 2018.[4][11] In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Burke was appointed to lead the University of Illinois' SHIELD initiative to protect the community with testing. A collaborative effort between Burke and Paul J. Hergenrother lead to the development of a saliva test called covidSHIELD for COVID-19 that has been used over 1 million times in the campus community.[12]
Research
Burke's research is divided into three segments, Blocc Chemistry, Molecular Prosthetics, and Antifungals. [13][14] Blocc chemistry involves the use of "boron-protected haloboronic acids" to iteratively cross-couple building blocks into complex molecules. This work culminated into a paper in the journal Science.[15] Work in this area is ongoing and has begun to include a focus on Csp3 cross-coupling to expand the value of the automated process.[16] Molecular prosthetics is the study of small organic molecules that restore function of aberrant or missing proteins in biology. Burke has reported on two molecular prosthetics in detail including Hinokitiol and Amphotericin B. Hitokitiol restores iron transport as well as other metals, acting as a prosthetic for passive metal transporters as reported in Science.[17] Amphotericin B assembles into small pores to allow bicarbonate across endothelial cells which shows promise in treatment of cystic fibrosis [18] Amphotericin B is also involved in the antifungal finger of the Burke's research. His group discovered that the analog "C2’deOAmB" is able to kill fungal cells by binding ergosterol but not cholesterol.[19]
