Personal statement

Contact Details

Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry

University of Strathclyde

Thomas Graham Building, Office TG 507

295 Cathedral Street

Glasgow G1 1XL

Phone: +44 (0)141 548 4648;

Webpage: https://bruns-lab.com/

Email: nico.bruns@strath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bruns_Lab; @Bruns_Lab

Google Scholar: Link

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6199-9995

Career Synopsis

2018 – present: Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Strathclyde
2013 – 2018: Associate Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry, Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
2008 – 2013: Habilitand (Independent Research Group Leader), Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Switzerland; Habilitation Mentor: Prof. Wolfgang Meier
2007 – 2008: Postdoctoral Researcher with Prof. Douglas S. Clark, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, USA
2003 – 2007: PhD in Chemistry with Prof. Rolf Mülhaupt and Jörg C. Tiller, University of Freiburg, Germany

Publications

Promoting the furan ring opening reaction to access new donor–acceptor stenhouse adducts with hexafluoroisopropanol: Clerc Michèle, Stricker Friedrich, Ulrich Sebastian, Sroda Miranda, Bruns Nico, Boesel Luciano F, Read de Alaniz Javier; Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2021); https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202100115
Shear stress-responsive polymersome nanoreactors inspired by the marine bioluminescence of dinoflagellates: Rifaie-Graham Omar, Galensowske Nikolas F B, Dean Charlie, Pollard Jonas, Balog Sandor, Gouveia Micael G, Chami Mohamed, Vian Antoine, Amstad Esther, Lattuada Marco, Bruns Nico; Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol 60, pp. 904-909 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202010099
Rapid quantification of the malaria biomarker hemozoin by improved biocatalytically initiated precipitation atom transfer radical polymerizations: Raccio Samuel, Pollard Jonas, Djuahdi Ashley, Balog Sandor, Pellizzoni Michela M, Rodriguez Kyle J, Rifaie-Graham Omar, Bruns Nico; Analyst Vol 145, pp. 7741-7751 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1039/D0AN00976H
Silk sericin-polylactide protein-polymer conjugates as biodegradable amphiphilic material and its application in drug release systems: Boonpavanitchakul Kanittha, Bast Livia K, Bruns Nico, Magaraphan Rattanawan; Bioconjugate Chemistry Vol 31, pp. 2312-2324 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00399
Stabilizing enzymes within polymersomes by co-encapsulation of trehalose: Dinu Maria Valentina, Dinu Ionel Adrian, Saxer Sina Simone, Meier Wolfgang P, Pieles Uwe, Bruns Nico; Biomacromolecules (2020); https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00824
Functional membranes based on amphiphilic polymer co-networks: Ulrich Sebastian, Boesel Luciano F, Bruns Nico; Amphiphilic Polymer Co-networks Synthesis, Properties, Modelling and Applications (2020) (2020); https://doi.org/10.1039/9781788015769-00331

More publications

Research interests

Synthetic polymers have contributed to many innovations in all aspects of modern life. Significant progress has been made in synthetic methods to obtain functional polymers, in the fabrication of polymeric nanostructures and in the fundamental understanding of their physicochemical properties. However, compared to the properties and functions of nature’s macromolecules, even the most sophisticated synthetic polymers still appear to be simple and only offer comparably basic functionality. Proteins are fascinating macromolecules, particularly from a polymer chemist’s point of view. The vast variety of functions that proteins can fulfill is not seen in any synthetic material. Enzymes for example act as catalysts, while other proteins fluoresce or control transport across cell membranes. Moreover, certain proteins can self-assemble into nanocontainers and nanoreactors. All these functions are essential molecular mechanisms that enable life and render living tissue responsive and adaptive.

My research encompasses an interdisciplinary, bio-inspired approach that combines polymer chemistry and protein engineering to create new opportunities for the sustainable synthesis of polymers and to design, engineer and realize materials and nanosytems with unprecedented new functions. Examples are the use of enzymes as catalysts for atom transfer radical polymerizations, the use of biocatalysis for malaria diagnostics, to develop polymersome- and protein-based nanoreactors for enzymatic reactions, and to use proteins as force-responsive sensor molecules in fiber-reinforced composite materials.

Group Webpage:

For further information, please visit:

https://bruns-lab.com/

Selected Publications:

Rifaie-Graham, O.; Pollard, J.; Raccio, S.; Balog, S.; Rusch, S.; Hernández-Castañeda, M. A.; Mantel, P.-Y.; Beck, H.-P.; Bruns, N., Hemozoin-catalyzed precipitation polymerization as an assay for malaria diagnosis. Nature Commun. 2019, 10, 1369. Link
Rifaie-Graham, O.; Ulrich, S.; Galensowske, N. F. B.; Balog, S.; Chami, M.; Rentsch, D.; Hemmer, J. R.; Read de Alaniz, J.; Boesel, L. F.; Bruns, N., Wavelength-Selective Light-Responsive DASA-Functionalized Polymersome Nanoreactors. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 8027-8036. Link
Rother, M.; Barmettler, J.; Reichmuth, A.; Araujo, J. V.; Rytka, C.; Glaied, O.; Pieles, U.; Bruns, N., Self-Sealing and Puncture Resistant Breathable Membranes for Water-Evaporation Applications. Adv. Mater. 2015, 27, 6620-6624. Link
Renggli, K.; Nussbaumer, M. G.; Urbani, R.; Pfohl, T.; Bruns, N., A Chaperonin as Protein Nanoreactor for Atom-Transfer Radical Polymerization. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1443-1447. Link
Silva, T. B.; Spulber, M.; Kocik, M. K.; Seidi, F.; Charan, H.; Rother, M.; Sigg, S. J.; Renggli, K.; Kali, G.; Bruns, N., Hemoglobin and Red Blood Cells Catalyze Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. Biomacromolecules 2013, 14, 2703-2712. Link
Sigg, S. J.; Seidi, F.; Renggli, K.; Silva, T. B.; Kali, G.; Bruns, N., Horseradish Peroxidase as a Catalyst for Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2011, 32, 1710-1715. Link

Projects

Intracellular Controlled Radical Polymerizations: Bruns, Nico (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2023
Plant Inspired Materials and Surfaces (PLAMATSU) MCSA ITN: Bruns, Nico (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2018 - 30-Jan-2020
Pire Bio-Inspired Materials and Systems: Bruns, Nico (Principal Investigator) Roldan Velasquez, Sara Tatiana (Principal Investigator); Bio-inspired Materials and Systems is a Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) program funded by National Science Foundation in the US and Switzerland.; 01-Jan-2018
NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials: Bruns, Nico (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2018 - 30-Jan-2022
PIRE Bio-Inspired Materials and Systems: Bruns, Nico (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2021

More projects

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Pure and Applied Chemistry
Thomas Graham Building

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