Michael J. Bakker, M.Sc., Ph.D., a recent graduate and current Postdoctoral Researcher at Charles University, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, has received the prestigious Dimitris N. Chorafas Prize. The award, granted in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, recognizes his doctoral research in computational chemistry and its application to biomolecular systems.
Dr. Bakker earned his Ph.D. degree in Bioorganic chemistry from Charles University in January 2025. His thesis addressed the challenges in characterizing the structure and dynamics of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs), which are implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. He completed his studies at the Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry, working under the supervision of Assistant Professor Jana Pavlíková Přecechtělová, Ph.D..
His research is centered on the structural characterization and dynamics of IDPs and nuclear receptors. To gain insights into protein conformation and dynamics, Dr. Bakker developed novel computational strategies, integrating advanced machine learning, bioinformatics, and dimensionality reduction techniques with molecular dynamics simulations. For example, he pioneered the use of Solvent-Accessible Surface Area (SASA) alongside other structural fingerprints in dimensionality reduction to generate more accurate, tractable conformational ensembles for predicting NMR chemical shifts.
This innovative work provides valuable insights for therapeutic intervention. His analysis of the Tau protein in Alzheimer's disease shed light on its aggregation into harmful plaques and how hyper-phosphorylation might extinguish this phenomenon. Furthermore, his research on the tumor suppressor p53 helps decipher its intricate regulation, which is vital for designing drugs to restore its function. His current postdoctoral research focuses on understanding the binding patterns of orphan nuclear receptors and developing innovative drug-induced ubiquitination techniques for selectively eliminating cancer-promoting proteins.
Text: Michael J. Bakker, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Photo: Vladimír Šigut