Biography:Petra Fromme

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Short description: German-American chemist
Petra Fromme
Fromme in 2017
Alma materTechnical University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Scientific career
InstitutionsArizona State University
Max Volmer Institute
ThesisDie ATP-Synthase aus Chloroplasten biochemische Untersuchungen zur Struktur und kinetische Messungen zum Mechanismus des Enzyms (1988)

Petra Fromme is a German-American chemist who is Director of the Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery and Regents Professor at the Arizona State University. Her research considers the structure-to-function relationship of the membrane proteins involved with infectious diseases and bio-energy conversion. In 2021, she was awarded the Protein Society Anfinsen Award.

Early life and education

Fromme was born in Germany . She attended the Free University of Berlin for undergraduate studies, where she majored in biochemistry.[1] She moved to the Technical University of Berlin for her doctoral research, where she investigated the ATP synthase of chloroplasts.[2]

Research and career

Fromme's academic career started at the Max Volmer Institute, part of the Technical University of Berlin.[citation needed] Fromme joined Arizona State University as a Professor of Molecular Sciences in 2002.[3] She was named Paul V Galvin Professor in 2012. In 2014, Fromme was appointed Director of the Centre for Applied Structural Discovery.[4][5] The following year she was selected as a Regents' Professor.[6] At Arizona State, she oversaw the development of two compact X-ray accelerator systems, including an X-ray light source[7] and an X-ray Free Electron Laser.[8][9][10]

Fromme was amongst the first people to use high energy X-ray free-electron lasers to analyze proteins. These lasers, which produce extremely bright and ultra-short pulses of light, allow for serial femtosecond nanocrystallography.[11] Whilst conventional high intensity X-ray pulses can damage the molecules they are interrogating, femtosecond pulses can permit the acquisition of diffraction patterns before the sample degrades.[8] Femtosecond measurements allowed Fromme to establish the structure-property relationships of crucial biological systems, including ATP synthase, Photosystem I and Photosystem II.[12][13][14][15] Nanocrystallography will allow for the development of more safe and effective drugs,[16][17][18] as well as accelerating our understanding of material design for renewable energy sources.[8][19]

In an effort to design new drugs, Fromme has studied the structure of disease-linked enzymes in the human body including Taspase I.[20] The protease is involved with cell metabolism, proliferation, migration and termination, and its dysregulation is implicated in the genesis of various cancers.[21] By investigating Taspase I with free-electron lasers, Fromme showed that there is a critical helical region which defines the protease activity, and eliminating this region can deactiviate the enzyome entirely.[21] X-ray Free Electron Lasers also allowed for the characterisations of Francisella tularensis, the bacterium which gives rise to Tularemia.[22]

She also has published and co published many scientific papers in many journals, like; Three-Dimensional structure of Cyanobacterial photosystem I at 2.5 Å resolution, Crystal Structure of photosystem II from Synechococcus elongatus at 3.8 Å resolution, Femtosecond X-ray protein nano-crystallography, Single mimivirus particulars intercepted and imaged with an X-Ray Laser, and so much more.[23]

Awards and honors

  • 2013 Science Top 10 Breakthrough of the Year[24]
  • 2015 Phoenix New Times Best of Phoenix Award[25]
  • 2021 Fromme was awarded the Protein Society Anfinsen Award[8]

Selected publications

Books

References

  1. ↑ "Petra Fromme" (in en). https://asu.pure.elsevier.com/en/persons/petra-fromme. 
  2. ↑ Fromme, Petra (1988). Die ATP-Synthase aus Chloroplasten biochemische Untersuchungen zur Struktur und kinetische Messungen zum Mechanismus des Enzyms (Thesis) (in German). OCLC 721655618.{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  3. ↑ Ryman, Anne. "New ASU center to expand cutting-edge research" (in en-US). https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2014/08/01/new-asu-center-expand-cutting-edge-research/13450159/. 
  4. ↑ "ASU protein pioneer honored as innovator at governor's celebration" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/asu-protein-pioneer-honored-innovator-governor%E2%80%99s-celebration. 
  5. ↑ "ASU appoints Petra Fromme as director of new Center for Applied Structural Discovery" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/asu-appoints-petra-fromme-director-new-center-applied-structural-discovery. 
  6. ↑ "Three ASU faculty members appointed Regents' Professors" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/three-asu-faculty-members-appointed-regents-professors. 
  7. ↑ "Beuses' $10 million gift to build world's first-of-its-kind X-ray laser lab at ASU" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/beuses-10-million-gift-build-world%E2%80%99s-first-its-kind-x-ray-laser-lab-asu. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Petra Fromme honored with the prestigious Anfinsen Award" (in en). https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/537659. 
  9. ↑ "The sounds of science: A quiet home for a powerful laser" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/sounds-science-quiet-home-powerful-laser. 
  10. ↑ "Bright lights, big science: Revolutionary laser instrument receives $4.7 million boost from the National Science Foundation" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/bright-lights-big-science-revolutionary-laser-instrument-receives-47-million-boost-national. 
  11. ↑ "Time-resolved Femtosecond Crystallography: Toward Molecular Movies of Molecules In Action" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/time-resolved-femtosecond-crystallography-toward-molecular-movies-molecules-action. 
  12. ↑ "Petra Fromme" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/petra-fromme. 
  13. ↑ "BioXFEL - Petra Fromme". https://www.bioxfel.org/people/fromme. 
  14. ↑ "Photosynthesis seen in a new light by rapid X-ray pulses" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/photosynthesis-seen-new-light-rapid-x-ray-pulses. 
  15. ↑ "X-ray study unlocks secrets of light-sensing organism" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/x-ray-study-unlocks-secrets-light-sensing-organism. 
  16. ↑ "Research team finds possible new approach for sleeping sickness drugs" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/research-team-finds-possible-new-approach-sleeping-sickness-drugs. 
  17. ↑ "One step closer: Membrane protein structure expressed in Lyme disease could offer therapeutic target" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/one-step-closer-membrane-protein-structure-expressed-lyme-disease-could-offer-therapeutic. 
  18. ↑ "X-ray pulses reveal structure of viral cocoon" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/x-ray-pulses-reveal-structure-viral-cocoon. 
  19. ↑ "Research" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/petra-fromme/research. 
  20. ↑ "Finding answers to cancer in the cosmos" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/finding-answers-cancer-cosmos. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "First detailed look at crucial enzyme advances cancer research" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/first-detailed-look-crucial-enzyme-advances-cancer-research. 
  22. ↑ "X-ray eyes peer deeper into deadly pathogen" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/x-ray-eyes-peer-deeper-deadly-pathogen. 
  23. ↑ "Petra Fromme". https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rRHlYT0AAAAJ&hl=en. 
  24. ↑ "ASU research makes Science's top 10 breakthroughs" (in en). 2013-01-13. https://news.asu.edu/content/asu-research-makes-sciences-top-10-breakthroughs. 
  25. ↑ "Fromme garners Best of Phoenix award" (in en). https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/fromme-garners-best-phoenix-award. 





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