prof. dr hab. Wojciech J. Stec

Telefon: Tel.: (+48-42)681-97-44, fax: (+48-42)681-54-83

Email:

Scintific career

• 1958 – J.Śniadecki High School, Pabianice, Poland
• 1963 – M.Sc., Chemistry, Technical University of Lodz
• 1968 – Ph.D., Organic Chemistry; Technical University of Lodz, Thesis: „Studies on the synthesis and chemical transformations of tetra-alkyl hypophosphates” (with Prof. A. Zwierzak)
• 1973 – Habilitation Degree, Organic Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry, PAS, Warsaw. Thesis: „Stereochemistry of nucleophilic substitution at phosphorus atom”
• 1979 – Assistant Professor (title confirmed and accepted by the State Council)
• 1979 – Head of the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, CMMS, PAS, Łódź, Poland
• 1986 – Full Professor (title confirmed and accepted by the State Council)
• 1994 – Corresponding Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (elected)
• 2006-2010 – Vice President of the Polish Academy of Sciences (elected)

Member of scientific organization (nominated or elected):

• 1982-present – Elected Member of „Societas Scientiarum ac Litterarum Varsoviensis”
• 1994-present – Elected Corresponding Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
• 1999-2005 – Member of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences
• 2007-present – Elected Full Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
• 1999-present – Vice-President of the Board of Governors of the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB, Trieste)
  Member of the Committee for Biotechnology; National Committee for Chemistry; Committee for Biochemistry and Biophysics

Member of editorial boards:

• 1976-1991 – Member of the Editorial Board, „Polish Journal of Chemistry”, Warsaw
• 1989-1995 – Member of the Editorial Board, „Heteroatom Chemistry. An International Journal of Main Group Elements”
• 1993-present – Member of the Editorial Board „Antisense and Nucleic Acid Drugs and Development”, N.Y., Ed. A. Krieg and C.A. Stein
• 2000-2010 – Member of the Editorial Board, „European Journal of Organic Chemistry”, Germany
• 2000-2010 – Member of the Editorial Board, „ChemBioChem- An European Journal of Chemical Biology”, Germany

Awards:

• 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1985, 1988 – Annual Awards of Scientific Secretary of the Polish Academy of Sciences
• 1972 – Annual Award of the Third Department of the Polish Academy of Sciences
• 1978 – Annual Award of the American Pharmacological Society for the best paper published (with four coauthors) in „Chemico-Biological Interactions” in 1977
• 1987 – Award of Lodz City Council
• 1990 – Kostanecki Medal (Annual Prize of the Polish Chemical Society)
• 1991 – NIH, Fogarty International Centre, „Fogarty Scholar-in-Residence Award”
• 1994 – Marchlewski Medal (Annual Award of PAS Committee of Biochemistry and Biophysics)
• 1994 – The WIPO Medal for outstanding contribution in the field of Science and Biotechnology
• 1996 – Award of the Foundation of Experimental and Clinical Oncology, Poland
• 1999 – Award of the Prime Minister of Poland for outstanding contribution to science
• 2004 – Award of the Foundation for Polish Science (the highest science distinction in Poland)
• 2005 – Lodz City Award „Eureka”
• 2005 – The Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (presented by the President of Poland)
• 2006 – Nomination for European Innovation Award (European Patent Office, Munich; Brussels)
• 2009 – Jędrzej Śniadecki Medal for outstanding contribution into chemistry (Polish Chemical Society)
• 2010 – Award of the Polish Biochemical Society and Sigma-Aldrich Poland for contribution to nucleic acids chemistry
• 2012 – Doctor Honoris causa, Technical University of Lodz, Poland
• 2012 – M.Curie-Sklodowska Medal (Polish Chemical Society)
• 2013 – Polish-French (Société Chimique de France) Award

Current research area:

My research included oligonucleotides and their analogues, such as DNA phosphotriesters, oligo(nucleoside phosphorothioate)s, -phosphoroselenoate)s, -phosphoramidate)s and -methanephosphonate)s. Stereoselective synthesis, assignment of absolute configurations at phosphorus, analysis of „tacticity” of oligonucleotide analogues, their interactions with other biopolymers, and search for new effective tools for stereochemical assignments within new, unnatural oligonucleotide constructs, are the continuous goals of research programs performed in the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry. Besides protein engineering, such as h rec αTNF and its muteins (what somehow corresponded with my earlier studies on the synthesis of enantiomeric forms of anti-cancer drugs) my major efforts are directed towards medicinal applications of oligonucleotides and their phosphorothioate and methanephosphonate analogues within antisense-, antigene- and aptameric concepts of inhibition of protein biosynthesis. P-chiral phosphorothioates and isotopomeric phosphates are used as stereochemical probes for investigation of the mechanisms of enzymatic reactions involving phosphodiesterases, phosphoramidases, rybozymes, and others.

Selected recent references:

1.  A.Krakowiak, R. Pawłowska, B. Kocoń-Rębowska, R. Dolot, W. J. Stec: Interactions of cellular Histidine triad nucleotide binding protein 1 with nucleosides 5′-O-monophosphorothioate and their derivatives – implication for desulfuration process in the cell. Biochim. Biophys. Acta – General Subject  2014, 1840: 3357–3366 (IF 3.829)
2. A.Krakowiak, R. Pęcherzewska, R. Kaczmarek, A. Tomaszewska, B. Nawrot, W. J. Stec: Evaluation of influence of Ap(4)A analogues on Fhit-positive HEK293T cells; cytotoxicity and ability to induce apoptosis. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2011, 19: 5053-5060 (IF 2.951)
3. A.Tomaszewska, P. Guga, W. J. Stec: Diastereomerically Pure Nucleoside-5’-O-(2-thio-4,4-pentamethylene-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholane)s – Substrates for Synthesis of P-Chiral Derivatives of Nucleoside-5’-O-phosphorothioates. Chirality 2011, 23(3): 237-244 (IF 1.724)
4.  D.Błaziak, P. Guga, A. Jagiełło, D. Korczyński, A. Maciaszek, A. Nowicka, A. Pietkiewicz, W. J. Stec: Stereoselective formation of a P-P bond in the reaction of 2-alkoxy-2-thio-1,3,2-oxathiaphospholanes with O,O-dialkyl H-phosphonates and H-thiophosphonates. Org. Biomol. Chem. 2010, 8: 5505-5510 (IF 3.487)
5.  R.Kaczmarek, J. Baraniak, W. J. Stec: A Novel approach to preparation of peptide-oligonucleotide conjugates (POCs). Synlett 2009, (14): 2269-2273 (IF 2.463)
6.  P.Wang, B-K. Chun, S. Rachakonda, J. Du, N. Khan, J. Shi, W. Stec, D. Cleary, B. S. Ross, M. J. Sofia: An Efficient and Diastereoselective Synthesis of PSI-6130: A Clinically Efficacious Inhibitor of HCV NS5B Polymerase. J. Org. Chem. 2009, 74: 6819–6824 (IF 4.638)
7.  B.Nawrot, N. Paul, B. Rebowska, W. J. Stec: Significance of Stereochemistry of 3’-Terminal Phosphorothioate-Modified Primer in DNA Polymerase-Mediated Chain extension. Mol. Biotech. 2008, 40(2): 119-126 (IF 2.275)
8.  P.Guga, M. Boczkowska, M. Janicka, A. Maciaszek, S. Kuberski, W. J. Stec: Unusual Thermal Stability of RNA/[RP-PS]-DNA/RNA Triplexes Containing a Homopurine DNA Strand. Biophys. J. 2007, 92(7): 2507-2515 (IF 3.832)
9.  K.Misiura, D. Szymanowicz, W. J. Stec: Synthesis of Nucleoside a-Thiotriphosphates via an Oxathiaphospholane Approach. Org. Lett. 2005, 7: 2217-2220 (IF 6.324)
10.  J. L. Clark, L. Hollecker, J. Ch. Mason, L. J. Stuyver, P. M. Tharnish, S. Lostia, T. R. McBrayer, R. F. Schinazi, K. A. Watanabe, M. J. Otto, P. A. Furman, W. J. Stec, S. E. Patterson, K. W. Pankiewicz: Design, Synthesis, and Antiviral Activity of 2-Deoxy-2-Fluoro-2-C-methylcytidine, a Potent Inhibitor of Hepatitis C Virus Replication. J. Med. Chem. 2005, 48: 5504-5508
    (IF 5.480)
11.  A.Krakowiak, H. C. Pace, G. M. Blackburn, M. Adams, A. Mekhalfia, R. Kaczmarek, J. Baraniak, W. J. Stec, Ch.Brenner: Biochemical, Crystallographic, and Mutagenic Characterization of Hint, the AMP-Lysine Hydrolase, with Novel Substrates and Inhibitors. J. Biol. Chem. 2004, 279: 18711-18716 (IF 4.6)
12. A.Guranowski, E. Starzyńska, A. G. McLennan, J. Baraniak, W. J. Stec: Adenosine-5-O-phosphorylated and Adenosine-5-O-phosphorothioylated Polyols as Strong Inhibitors of Symmetrical and Asymmetrical  Dinucleoside Tetraphosphates. Biochem. J. 2003, 373: 635-640 (IF IF 4.779)
13. M.Koziołkiewicz, A. Owczarek, M. Wójcik, K. Domanski, P. Guga, W. J. Stec: Retention of the Configuration in the Action of Human Plasma 3′-Exonuclease on Oligo(deoxynucleoside phosphorothioate). A New Method for Assignment of Absolute Configuration at Phosphorus in Isotopomeric Deoxyadenosine 5′-O-[18O]-phosphorothioate. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124: 4623-4627 (IF 11.444)
14. M.Boczkowska, P. Guga, W. J. Stec: Stereodefined Phosphorothioate Analogues of DNA: Relative Thermodynamic Stability of the Model PS-DNA/DNA and PS-DNA/RNA Complexes. Biochem. 2002, 41: 12483-12487 (IF 3.194)
15. P.Guga, K. Domanski, W. J. Stec: Oxathiapospholane Approach to the Synthesis of P-chiral, Isotopomeric Deoxyribonucleoside Phosphorothioates and Phosphates Labeled with Oxygen Isotope. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. English, 2001, 40: 610-613 (IF 11.336)
16. P.Guga, A. Okruszek, W. J. Stec: Recent Advances in Stereocontrolled Synthesis of P-Chiral Analogues of Biophosphates. In: Topics in Current Chemistry. Vol. 220, Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001, J.P.Majoral, Ed., pp. 170-200.
17. W .J. Stec, B. Karwowski, M. Boczkowska, P. Guga, M. Koziolkiewicz, M. Sochacki, M. W. Wieczorek, J. Blaszczyk: Deoxyribonucleoside 3′-O-(2-thio- and 3′-O-(2-oxo-„spiro”-4.4-pentamethylene-1.3.2-oxathiaphospholanes): Monomers for Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Oligo(nucleoside Phosphorothioate)s and Chimeric PS/PO Oligonucleotides. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1998, 120: 7156-7167 (IF 11.444)
18. W. J. Stec, A. Wilk: Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Oligo(nucleoside Phosphorothioate)s. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. English 1994, 33: 709-722 (IF 11.336)
19. M. Koziołkiewicz, W. J. Stec: The Application of Phosphate-Backbone Modified Oligonucleotides in the Studies on Eco RI Endonuclease Mechanism of Action. Biochemistry 1992, 31: 9460-9466 (IF 3.194)