Identification
Surname
First name
Private address
Tel.: (+1) 604 783 3959
Office
Renders
Marleen
4371 West 13th Avenue
Vancouver
British Columbia
Canada V6R 2V1
Perrin lab
Chemistry Department
Main Mall 2036, A352
University of British Columbia
Vancouver
British Columbia
Canada V6T 1Z4
Tel.: (+1) 604 822 6782
E-mail: mren@chem.ubc.ca
Date of birth: 1981-09-11
Place of birth: Pretoria (South Africa)
Nationality: Belgian
Marital status: Unmarried
Education
August 2011 – Present
Postdoctoral research
Institution:
Perrin lab
Chemistry Department
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. David Perrin
Subject: Evolution of DNA aptamers with protein side chains
January 2010 – July 2011
Postdoctoral research
Institution:
Glycoscience Laboratory
School of Chemistry
National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Rob Woods
Subject: Investigation of the receptor specificity of influenza hemagglutinin receptor site mutants
April 2009 – December 2009
Postdoctoral research
Institution:
Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Rega Institute for Medical Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jan Balzarini
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Subject: Carbohydrate binding agents as potential HIV drug leads
October 2004 – March 2009
PhD research
Institution:
Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry
Rega Institute for Medical Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Piet Herdewijn
Subject:
The exploration of modified nucleotides as a substrate of polymerases
October 1999 – July 2004
Universitary education
Institution:
Catholic University of Leuven
Study:
Pharmacy, specialization product and development
September 1993 – June 1999
Secondary education
Institution:
Humaniora Virga Jesse, Hasselt, Belgium
Study:
Science – Mathematics
Publications
Pinheiro V.B., Taylor A.I., Cozens C., Abramov M., Renders M., Zhang S., Chaput J.C., Wengel
J., Peak-Chew S.-Y., McLaughlin S.H., Herdewijn P., Holliger P., Synthetic genetic polymers
capable of heredity and evolution, Science 2012, 336, 341-344
With the use of polymerase evolution and design, genetic information can be stored in and recovered from six
alternative genetic polymers based on simple nucleic acid architectures not found in nature [xeno-nucleic acids
(XNAs)]. XNA aptamers are selected, which bind their targets with high affinity and specificity,
demonstrating that beyond heredity, specific XNAs have the capacity for Darwinian evolution and folding into
defined structures. Thus, heredity and evolution, two hallmarks of life, are not limited to DNA and RNA but
are likely to be emergent properties of polymers capable of information storage. I developed and executed the
one pot synthesis of the triphosphate derivatives of the modified nucleosides.
Lozano V., Aguado L., Hoorelbeke B., Renders M., Camarasa M.J., Schols D., Balzarini J., SanFélix A., Pérez-Pérez M.J., Targeting HIV entry through interaction with envelope glycoprotein
120 (gp120): Synthesis and antiviral evaluation of 1,3,5-triazines with aromatic amino acids.,
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2011, 54(15) 5335-5348 (Impact factor 5.207)
I conducted the SPR analysis of the compounds. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry publishes original
research on the correlation between molecule structure and pharmacological activity and provides
essential information for both medicinal chemists and pharmacologists. It is the most cited journal in
medicinal chemistry.
Balzarini J., François K.O., Van Laethem K., Hoorelbeke B., Renders M., Auwerx J., Liekens
S., Oki T., Igarashi Y., and Schols D., Pradimicin S, a highly soluble non-peptidic small-size
carbohydrate-binding antibiotic, is an anti-HIV drug lead for both microbicidal and systemic use,
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 2010, 54(4) 1425-1435 (Impact factor 4.673)
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I executed all the biosensor binding and kinetic experiments. I analysed the data, interpreted the results
and helped writing the manuscript. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy is a journal devoted to the
publication of articles dealing with antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic agents and
chemotherapy. It is a key journal among microbiologists, clinicians and other specialists in infectious
diseases.
Abramov M., Renders M., Herdewijn P., Synthesis of 2'-N-formamido nucleosides and
biological evaluation. Nucleosides Nucleotides Nucleic Acids 2009, 28(11) 1042-1050 (Impact
factor 1.132)
I developed and executed the one pot synthesis of the triphosphate derivatives of the modified nucleosides
and evaluated the biological activity of the compounds. Nucleosides Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids
publishes research related to the chemistry and biology of nucleosides, nucleotides and nucleic acids.
Renders M., Abramov M., Froeyen M., Herdewijn P., Polymerase-catalysed incorporation of
glucose nucleotides into a DNA duplex, Chemistry: A European Journal 2009, 15(22) 5463-5470
(Cover picture) (Impact factor 3.945)
The finding that rigid six-membered sugar-ring nucleotide analogues are recognised by and inserted into
the duplex by polymerases is unexpected. Molecular modelling even shows that hydrogen bonds can be
formed. The results of this study suggest firstly that any organic residue may act as a substrate for the
enzyme and secondly, that the potential for stable hybridization with natural nucleic acids following
Watson-Crick rules, is not a necessary parameter to select possible, primitive, pre-biotic information
systems.
I conducted the synthesis of the triphosphate derivatives of the modified nucleotides and carried through
the enzymatic reactions. I drafted the manuscript. Chemistry: A European Journal is an internationally
recognized scientific journal that features full-articles from all chemistry areas and related fields.
Renders M., Lievrouw R., Krecmerová M., Holý A., Herdewijn P., Enzymatic polymerization of
phosphonate nucleosides, ChemBioChem: European Journal of Chemical Biology 2008, 9(17)
2883-8 (Impact factor 3.945)
We have polymerised enzymatically stable phosphonate oligonucleotides. An enzymatic route for the
synthesis of phoshonate oligomers is an important step to make this unnatural, informative polymer
available for further studies. It could be useful as potential therapeutic agent for the antisense and the
antigene approach or in the field of synthetic biology for incorporation into plasmids and the evaluation of
the translation of an enzymatically stable information system.
I achieved the synthesis of the triphosphate derivatives of the modified nucleotides, designed and
performed the enzymatic reactions. I compiled the results. ChemBioChem is a peer-reviewed European
chemical biology journal.
Viña D., Wu T., Renders M., Laflamme G., Herdewijn P., Synthesis of 3′-O-phosphonomethyl
nucleosides with an adenine base moiety, Tetrahedron 2007, 63 2634-2646 (Impact factor 3.011)
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I executed the difficult synthesis of the diphosphate of the locked phosphonate nucleoside and evaluated
its potential as an inhibitory substrate of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. The articles that are published in
Tetrahedron are usually original, organic chemistry full papers.
Renders M., Emmerechts G., Rozenski J., Krecmerová M., Holý A., Herdewijn P., Enzymatic
synthesis of phosphonomethyl oligonucleotides by Therminator polymerase, Angewandte Chemie
International Edition 2007, 46 2501-2504 (Impact factor 12.73)
An enzymatic route for the synthesis and isolation of 3′-2′ phoshonate oligomers is an alternative but
straightforward way to obtain small amounts of hypermodified oligonucleotides. We have enzymatically
synthesized polymers of phosphonomethyl-threosyladenine and phosphonomethyl-deoxyribosyladenine
with a phosphorylated guanosine at the 5′-end. This provides a solution for the ligation problems often
encountered with chimer construction of mixed DNA-modified nucleotide sequences. This methodology
may be useful to obtain modified oligonucleotides as potential therapeutic agents or for use in the area of
synthetic biology.
I completed the delicate synthesis of the triphosphate derivatives of the modified nucleotides. I designed
the experimental set-up, performed the enzymatic reactions, interpreted the data and revised the results.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition belongs to the top group of journals that publishes chemistryspecific research. We chose to publish our work in this journal because it specifically focuses on
innovative research.
Kempeners V., Renders M., Froeyen M., Herdewijn P., Investigation of the DNA-dependent
cyclohexenyl nucleic acid polymerization and the cyclohexenyl nucleic acid-dependent DNA
polymerization, Nucleic Acids Research 2005, 33 3828-3836 (Impact factor 7.836)
I carried out sophisticated incorporation and kinetic experiments using radiolabeled substrates, helped
with the interpretation and drafting of the results and writing of the manuscript. Nucleic Acids Research is
a well respected journal that publishes research on nucleic acids and related work.
Poster presentations
Renders M., Woods R.
Investigation of the receptor specificity of H5N1 influenza hemagglutinin receptor site mutants:
Preparation of the receptor-binding domain of H5N1 influenza virus hemagglutinin expressed in
Escherichia coli
Seventh annual PEGS meeting, Boston (MA), USA, May 9 - 13, 2011
Renders M., Lievrouw R., Emmerechts G., Rozenski J., Krecmerová M., Holý A., Herdewijn P.
Enzymatic polymerisation of phosphonate nucleosides
4th International Congress on Biocatalysis
Hamburg University of Technology, Germany, August 31 – September 4, 2008
Wu T., Renders M., Herdewijn P.
Synthesis of phosphonate nucleoside analogues
XVII International Roundtable on Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids (IRTXVII)
University of Bern, Switzerland, September 3 - 7, 2006
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Knowledge of languages
French: Good knowledge of written and spoken French
English: Very good knowledge of written and spoken English
Additional education
-
Mass Spectrometry in the analysis of drugs (2004 – 2005)
Academic Writing (2005 – 2006)
Presentation and Seminar Skills (2005 – 2006)
Biacore Basics and Kinetics and Affinity Analysis Level 1, GE Healthcare, Uppsala,
Sweden (2009)
Hobbies and leisure activities
Sports:
- Competitive swimming (1989 – 2000)
- University Swimming Team (1999 – present)
- Medal for accomplishment in sport (2002) from the University of Leuven
- Running, cycling
Others:
- Dramatical expression and poetry recital at the Conservatorium in Hasselt (1987 - 1999):
Degree of higher grade in reciting.
- Training for lifeguard (1998 - 1999): Higher degree of life guard: Vacation jobs as a life guard.
- Internship at H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, DK-2500 Copenhagen Valby at the ‘Product
Support & Implementation’ department: projects at the ‘in process analysis’,
‘analytical support’ and ‘pharmaceutical product support’ divisions
(six weeks from September to October 2003).
- Active member of:
- Jong-KVG: branch for young adolescents and young adults of the Catholic
association for the disabled. This branch organises yearly a couple of holidays for
children and young adults with a mental or physical handicap. I was several times
responsible for organising a holiday camp (2000 - 2002).
- support group of disabled university students: This group supports disabled
students permanently (2000 - 2004).
- Leuven Medical Support: joined as a pharmacist in 2006 the team going to Cameroon to support
the hospital in Njinikom and gave a medical training to doctors and nurses in
sterilisation and disinfection.
- Assistance at practical exercises for Pharmacy students (2004 – 2008)
- Ombudsman for the students of the second year of Pharmacy (2005 – 2007)
- Reading fiction, going to the theatre
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