Ülo Langel

Ülo Langel
Langel in 2008
Born(1951-03-02)March 2, 1951
Tartu, then part of Estonian SSR, Soviet Union
Alma materUniversity of Tartu
Stockholm University
Known forResearch on cell-penetrating peptides
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry, neurochemistry
WorkplacesUniversity of Tartu
Stockholm University
Scripps Research

Ülo Langel (born 2 March 1951) is an Estonian biochemist known for research on cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), including work associated with transportan and related intracellular-delivery systems.[1][2] He is professor emeritus at Stockholm University and the University of Tartu.[3][4]

Early life and education

Langel was born in Tartu.[5] He graduated from the University of Tartu in 1974 with a degree in chemistry and subsequently completed postgraduate work in bioorganic chemistry.[5][6] In 1980 he earned a candidate of sciences degree with a dissertation on structure–activity relationships in butyrylcholinesterase, and in 1993 he completed a doctorate in biochemistry and neurochemistry, associated with Stockholm University and the University of Tartu, on galanin and galanin antagonists.[5][6]

Career

Langel began his academic career at the University of Tartu in 1974, working first in organic chemistry and later in biochemistry.[5][6] From 1987 onward he worked at Stockholm University in a succession of research and teaching positions, becoming professor there in 2001; he later headed the university's Department of Neurochemistry.[6] He also held appointments at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, including as associate professor from 2000 to 2001.[6]

According to Stockholm University and the University of Tartu, Langel later became professor emeritus at both institutions.[3][4] In 2025 he joined the board of Tallinn University of Technology as a member appointed by the Estonian Academy of Sciences.[7]

Research

Langel's earlier research was in neurochemistry, particularly neuropeptides such as galanin and their ligands.[5][8] He later became closely associated with research on CPPs and their use in delivering biologically active molecules across cell membranes.[9][1] A 2023 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences described transportan as a CPP developed by Langel and collaborators and treated it as an early platform for later peptide-based delivery systems.[2]

Independent reviews have cited Langel's work repeatedly in discussions of CPP mechanisms, design and biomedical applications.[9][1][10] An ERR science feature in 2019 described him as one of the early researchers in shuttle peptides and linked that work to the development of new drug-delivery approaches.[11] In 2023 the journal Pharmaceutics announced a special issue honouring Langel's contribution to the field of CPP research.[12]

Honours and memberships

In 2001 Langel was awarded the Order of the White Star, IV class.[13] In 2009 he received the Estonian National Science Prize in chemistry and molecular biology, together with Margus Pooga and collaborators, for a research cycle on intracellular targets.[5] He was elected a member of Academia Europaea in 2013[14] and became a foreign member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences in 2015.[15]

Selected works

  • Langel, Ülo, ed. (2002). Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Processes and Applications. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-1141-3.
  • Langel, Ülo, ed. (2015). Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 1324. New York: Humana Press. pp. v–viii. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-2806-4. ISBN 978-1-4939-2805-7. PMID 26413602.
  • Langel, Ülo (2023). CPP, Cell-Penetrating Peptides (2nd ed.). Cham: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-38731-9. ISBN 978-3-031-38730-2.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Guidotti, Giulia; Brambilla, Luca; Rossi, Daniele (2017). "Cell-penetrating peptides: from basic research to clinics". Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 38 (4): 406–424. doi:10.1016/j.tips.2017.01.003. PMID 28285807.
  2. 1 2 Wickline, Samuel A.; Hou, Kirk K.; Pan, Hua (2023). "Peptide-Based Nanoparticles for Systemic Extrahepatic Delivery of Therapeutic Nucleotides". International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 24 (11): 9455. doi:10.3390/ijms24119455. PMC 10253970. PMID 37298407.
  3. 1 2 "Ulo Langel". Stockholm University. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Ülo Langel". University of Tartu. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Eesti Vabariigi teaduspreemiad 2009 (PDF) (in Estonian). Estonian Academy of Sciences. 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ülo Langel – Curriculum Vitae". Academia Europaea. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "University Board". Tallinn University of Technology. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  8. ↑ Hökfelt, Tomas; Bartfai, Tamas; Crawley, Jacqueline; Kuteeva, Elena; Schalling, Martin (2024). "Four decades of research on Viktor Mutt's neuropeptides galanin and GMAP and on their receptors". Proceedings of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. 73 (3): 170–192. doi:10.3176/proc.2024.3.01.
  9. 1 2 Bechara, Chérine; Sagan, Sandrine (2013). "Cell-penetrating peptides: 20 years later, where do we stand?". FEBS Letters. 587 (12): 1693–1702. Bibcode:2013FEBSL.587.1693B. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2013.04.031. PMID 23669356.
  10. ↑ Copolovici, Dana Maria; Langel, Kent; Eriste, Elo; Langel, Ülo (2014). "Cell-Penetrating Peptides: Design, Synthesis, and Applications". ACS Nano. 8 (3): 1972–1994. Bibcode:2014ACSNa...8.1972C. doi:10.1021/nn4057269. PMID 24559200.
  11. ↑ Vahtre, Mare; Põhako, Kaisa (2 October 2019). "Tulekul on uue põlvkonna ravimid". Novaator (in Estonian). ERR. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Current State of the Field of Cell-Penetrating Peptides as an Honorific Issue for Professor Ülo Langel". Pharmaceutics. MDPI. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "985. Riiklike autasude andmine". President of the Republic of Estonia (in Estonian). Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ülo Langel". Academia Europaea. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Ülo Langel". Estonian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.