Gideon J. Davies

Abstract

Angewandte Chemie International EditionVolume 57, Issue 39 p. 12620-12620 Author ProfileFree Access Gideon J. Davies First published: 13 August 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201803117AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Graphical Abstract “I would have liked to have discovered gene editing. My favorite author (fiction) is Jane Austen …” Find out more about Gideon J. Davies in his Author Profile. Gideon J. Davies The author presented on this page has published more than 10 articles since 2002 in Angewandte Chemie, most recently: “A Convenient Approach to Stereoisomeric Iminocyclitols: Generation of Potent Brain-Permeable OGA Inhibitors”: M. Bergeron-Brlek et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 15429; Angew. Chem. 2015, 127, 15649. The work of G. J. Davies has been featured on the cover of Angewandte Chemie: “A Glycosynthase Catalyst for the Synthesis of Flavonoid Glycosides”: M. Yang, G. J. Davies, B. G. Davis, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 3885; Angew. Chem. 2007, 119, 3959. Date of birth: July 6, 1964 Position: Professor of Chemistry, University of York E-mail: gideon.davies@york.ac.uk Homepage: http://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/academic/d-g/gdavies/ Education: 1995 BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, University of Bristol 1990 PhD supervised by Herman Watson and Len Hall, University of Bristol 1990–1991 Postdoctoral work with Keith Wilson, EMBL Hamburg 1991–1996 Postdoctoral work in York, with periods in Grenoble and Uppsala Awards: 2006 Whistler Prize, International Carbohydrate Organization; 2010 GlaxoSmithKline Award, Biochemical Society; 2010 Gabor Medal, The Royal Society; 2010 Fellow of the Royal Society; 2014 Khorana Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry; 2015 Davy Medal, The Royal Society; 2017 Ken Murray Research Professorship, The Royal Society Current research interests: Mammalian glycobiology; O-GlcNAc and neurodegeneration; conformational analysis of enzyme reaction coordinates; enzymes for biofuels and polysaccharide degradation. Hobbies: Walking, sailing, hockey, cricket, chemistry of Vitis vinifera I would have liked to have discovered gene editing. My favorite author (fiction) is Jane Austen. The most amusing chemistry adventure in my career was exploding logwood chips over my parents' bathroom walls; the concept of pH-sensitive wallpaper never took off, sadly. My favorite food is the culinary alchemy of poulet aux vin jaune et aux morilles. If I won the lottery, I would buy a yacht and sail the world (or maybe just its warmer parts), in between tending my vines. When I'm frustrated, I walk to quiet outdoor places and take in nature. The most important thing I learned from my parents is a passion for learning. If I could have dinner with three famous scientists from history, they would be Hypatia, Richard Feynman, Joseph Banks. My favorite place on earth is the west coast of Scotland—after a storm when the sky is blue and the salmon are leaping up rain-fed waterfalls. The biggest problem that scientists face is a lack of quality time. My 5 top papers: 1“Substrate Distortion by a ß-Mannanase: Snapshots of the Michaelis and Covalent-Intermediate Complexes Suggest a B2,5 Conformation for the Transition State”: V. M.-A. Ducros, D. L. Zechel, G. N. Murshudov, H. J. Gilbert, L. Szabó, D. Stoll, S. G. Withers, G. J. Davies, Angew. Chem. Int Ed 2002, 41, 2824; Angew. Chem. 2002, 114, 2948. (The unusual conformational itinerary, through a boat conformation, of enzymes acting on the sugar mannose.) 2“Catalysis by hen egg-white lysozyme proceeds via a covalent intermediate”: D. J. Vocadlo, G. J. Davies, R. Laine, S. G. Withers, Nature 2001, 412, 835. (Only by applying analysis to lysozyme did people take notice of the evidence for covalent intermediates on retaining glycosidases.) 3“A potent mechanism-inspired O-GlcNAcase inhibitor that blocks phosphorylation of tau in vivo”: S. A. Yuzwa et al., Nat. Chem. Biol. 2008, 4, 483. (Toxic tau species can be reduced using a mechanism and structure-based inhibitor of the O-GlcNAc hydrolase.) 4“The molecular basis of polysaccharide cleavage by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases”: K. E. H. Frandsen et al., Nat. Chem. Biol. 2016, 12, 298. (Deep chemical insight, from a European consortium, into the action of recently discovered copper-containing lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases.) 5“Detection of Active Mammalian GH31 α-Glucosidases in Health and Disease Using In-Class, Broad-Spectrum Activity-Based Probes”: J. Jiang et al., ACS Central Science 2016, 2, 351. (European collaboration that produced mechanism-based probes that function as clinical diagnostics for Pompe disease.) Volume57, Issue39September 24, 2018Pages 12620-12620 ReferencesRelatedInformation