Dr. Christopher Janich
Cationic lipid mixtures based on Malonic Acid Diamides (2nd generation) - Investigation of non-viral gene transfer vehicles.
Over the past few years, gene therapy has increasingly gained in importance. The completely decoding the human genome in April 2003 was a benefit for gene therapy. Here, more than 2,000 genes have been identified with pathological reason. The DFG refers gene therapy as the introduction of genes into tissues or cells, with the aim to achieve therapeutic or preventative benefit by the expression and function of these genes.
As gene transfer, the process of introducing genes into cells is referred. For this purpose, a vehicle which transfers the genetic material is required. In principle, the introduction of genes into cells can divided in two large groups: On the one hand by viral gene vectors (transduction) and on the other by non-viral vehicles (transfection). Lipofection (transfection with cationic lipids) takes nowadays also in clinical trials a high priority. As part of the PhD thesis of Dr. Wölk were, inter alia, a substance library of cationic lipids (malonic amides 2nd generation) synthesized, which have systematic structural variations in the lipophilic / hydrophilic moiety in order to find out structure / effectiveness correlations.
The main focus of this work is to find out structure / effectiveness correlations of these lipids in combination with different phospholipids concerning their ability to insert DNA in different cell lines. Here, the lipid mixtures and lipid-DNA mixtures (lipoplexes) are characterized by various physical-chemical and biological methods to determine transfection enhancing as well as transfection limiting parameters. Even after 40 years of intensive research in the field of gene transfection are still many open questions to clarify.
PhD Thesis
topic: Lipid formulations made of malonic acid diamides and phospholipids : investigations of the non-viral gene therapy [more]
Prizes/Honors
Finalist in der Rubrik "Innovativste Vorhaben der Grundlagenforschung" des Hugo Junkers Preis 2017 [more]
Transfer Prize funded by the University Halle, the city Halle and the Stadtwerke Halle GmbH. [more]
Luther-Urkunde of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg - defense of the PhD thesis with Summa cum laude
Publications
C. Janich, A. Hädicke, U. Bakowsky, G. Brezesinski, and C. Wölk: Interaction of DNA with Cationic Lipid Mixtures—Investigation at Langmuir Lipid Monolayers. Langmuir, 2017, 10172-10183, [more]
C. Wölk, C. Janich, U. Bakowsky, A. Langner, and G. Brezesinski: Malonic acid based cationic lipids – The way to highly efficient DNA-carriers. Adv. Coll. Interface Science 2017, 248, 20-34, [more]
S. Tassler, C. Wölk, C. Janich, B. Dobner, and G. Brezesinski: Lysine-based amino-functionalized lipids for gene transfection: the protonation state in monolayers at the air–liquid interface. PCCP 2017, 19, 20271-20280, [more]
C. Janich, S.R. Pinnapireddy, F. Erdmann, T. Groth, A. Langner, U. Bakowsky, and C. Wölk: Fast therapeutic DNA internalization – a high potential transfection system based on a peptide mimicking cationic lipid. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 2017, 118, 38-47. [more]
C. Janich, S. Taßler, A. Meister, G. Hause, J. Schäfer, U. Bakowsky, G. Brezesinski and C. Wölk: Structures of malonic acid diamide/phospholipid composites and their lipoplexes.
Soft Matter 2016, 12, 5854-5866, [more]
C. Janich, C. Wölk, F. Erdmann, T. Groth, G. Brezesinski, B. Dobner, and A. Langner: Composites of malonic acid diamides and phospholipids — Impact of lipoplex stability on transfection efficiency.
J. Controlled Release 2015, 220, 295–307. [more]
C. Wölk, C. Janich, A. Meister, S. Drescher, A. Langner, G. Brezesinski, and U. Bakowsky: Investigation of Binary Lipid Mixtures of a Three-Chain Cationic Lipid with Phospholipids Suitable for Gene Delivery.
Bioconjugate Chem. 2015, 26 (12), 2461–2473. [more]
N. Erdmann, C. Wölk, I. Schulze, C. Janich, M. Folz, S. Drescher, M. Dittrich, A. Meister, J. Vogel, T. Groth, B. Dobner, and A. Langner: Tris(2-aminoethyl) amine-based alpha-branched fatty acid amides - Synthesis of lipids and comparative study of transfection efficiency of their lipid formulations.
Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 2015, 96, 349-362. [more]
C. Wölk, C. Janich, D. Pawlowska, S. Drescher, A. Meister, G. Hause, B. Dobner, A. Langner, and G. Brezesinski: Lamellar versus Micellar Structures - Aggregation Behaviour of a Three-Chain Cationic Lipid Designed for Nonviral Polynucleotide Transfer.
ChemPhysChem 2015, 16 (10), 2115-2126. [more]
ChemPhysChem 2015, 16 (10), 2029. (Cover Profile) [more]
C. Janich, C. Wölk, S. Taßler, S. Drescher, A. Meister, G. Brezesinski, B. Dobner and A. Langner: Composites of malonic acid diamides and phospholipids - structural parmeters for optimal transfection efficiency in A549 cells.
Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol. 2014, 116, 1205-1216. [more]
Poster and talks
C. Janich, U. Bakowsky, A. Langner, C. Wölk
Fast Therapeutic DNA Internalization –
a New Class of High Potential Nucleic Acid Delivery Systems
NaNo DDS, September 2016, Baltimor, USA
C. Wölk,A. Langner, U. Bakowsky, C. Janich
A New Class of High Potential Nucleic Acid Delivery Systems -
To Fuse or Not to Fuse: That is the Question
NaNo DDS, September 2016, Baltimor, USA
C. Janich, C. Wölk, A. Hädicke, A. Langner
Monolayer Studies of Phospholipid-Based Gene Delivery Systems
Joint Meeting of the Membrane Sections of the French and German Biophysical Societies, Aril 11 to 14 1016, Bad Herrenalb, Germany
C. Janich, C. Wölk, A. Langner
Phospholipid-Based Gene Delivery Systems – DNA complexation and DNA release behavior of lipoplexes
11th nternational Conference and Workshop on Biological Barriers 2016 (poster)
C. Janich, A. Langner, U. Bakowsky, S. Taßler, G. Brezesinski, B. Dobner, and C. Wölk
Structural Investigations of Cationic Lipid Compositions and their Complexes with DNA
21th Ostwald-Colloquium- MPI-KG Potsdam 2015 (poster)
C. Janich, C. Wölk, F. Erdmann, T. Groth, G. Brezesinski, B. Dobner, and A. Langner
Phospholipid-Based Gene Delivery Systems – Impact of Lipoplex Stability on Transfection Efficiency
4. Symposium on Phospholipids in Pharmaceutical Research - Heidelberg 2015 (poster)
C. Wölk, C. Janich, S. Taßler, A. Meister, G. Hause, U. Bakowsky, A. Langner, G. Brezesinski, and B. Dobner
Phospholipid-Based Gene Delivery Systems – Aggregate Structures
4. Symposium on Phospholipids in Pharmaceutical Research - Heidelberg 2015 (poster)
S. Taßler, C. Janich, C. Wölk, B. Dobner, and G. Brezesinski
Physical-chemical investigation of a new cationic lipid for Gene Transfection.
International Workshop "Molecular Membrane Biophysics" - Hünfeld 2014 (poster)
C. Janich, C. Wölk, S. Taßler, S. Drescher, A. Meister, G. Brezesinski, B. Dobner, and A. Langner
Investigation of Phospholipids in Mixture with Cationic Lipids - Biological and Physicochemical Characterization.
International Workshop "Molecular Membrane Biophysics" - Hünfeld 2014 (poster)
C. Janich, C. Wölk, B. Dobner, and A. Langner
Evaluation of Transfection Efficiency of Cationic Lipids/Co-lipid-Complexes using an EGFP-Assay
3. Symposium on Phospholipids in Pharmaceutical Research - Heidelberg 2013 (poster)