FREISINGER Eva, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Redefining Metallothioneins: Fresh Perspectives on a Classic Protein
Biography:
Eva Freisinger holds the position of Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich (Switzerland). She completed her Chemistry studies at the University of Dortmund (Germany), where she also obtained her PhD in Bioinorganic Chemistry under the mentorship of Prof. Bernhard Lippert. Her doctoral research focused on investigating the structural coordination of metal ions with model nucleobases using single crystal X-ray crystallography.
During her postdoctoral years, she worked in the Structural Biology group of Prof. Caroline Kisker at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Stony Brook (NY, USA), gaining expertise in macromolecular crystallography and protein characterization. In 2003, Eva Freisinger established her independent research group in Bioinorganic Chemistry at the University of Zurich. Her primary research interests revolve around metallothioneins (MTs) derived from plants, bacteria, and fungi, investigating their metal ion binding properties and three-dimensional structures. Recently, her group has delved into uncovering the less known in vivo functions of plant MTs. Her research methodology encompasses a diverse range of (bio)chemical, biophysical, and structural techniques, with a major focus of optical spectroscopy and NMR.