Minicursos

While traditional medicines were primarily based on small organic molecules until a few years ago, modern drug development has made significant advances in recent decades, particularly due to the emergence of new modalities such as peptides, nucleic acids, and bioconjugates. These biotherapeutics offer new opportunities for targeted interactions with specific biological targets, thereby reducing the risk of side effects. Peptides and proteins are particularly well-suited to intervene in so-called PPIs (protein-protein interactions), which are crucial for many biological processes. Nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA molecules are increasingly being used in therapies like gene therapy, mRNA vaccines, siRNAs and antisense oligonucleotides, which can influence the expression of specific proteins in cells. Bioconjugates, which chemically link different modalities, have the potential to precisely deliver drugs to specific cells or tissues, making them more targeted and effective. These innovations have paved the way for more selective treatments of previously difficult-to-treat diseases, such as cancer, genetic disorders, infectious diseases and a series of orphan diseases. In this short course, I will give an overview of these new developments and explain the importance of chemical modification of biomolecules.

The course addresses one of the central technological challenges in renewable energy conversion: the development of efficient, durable, and scalable components for alkaline water electrolysis. With growing global demand for green hydrogen, advances in membrane and electrode materials are essential to improve both performance and cost-effectiveness, enabling large-scale deployment of electrolysis technologies. The program introduces participants to state-of-the-art testing and diagnostic protocols (polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, durability assessments, and degradation mechanism analysis), providing a rigorous framework to evaluate and compare electrolysis components. Drawing from DTU Energy case studies, the course bridges fundamental materials research with practical implementation, covering systems from bench scale to prototype development.

High-throughput experimentation (HTE) is increasingly recognised as a key methodology in contemporary organic synthesis. By allowing the systematic evaluation of hundreds of reactions in parallel, HTE surpasses traditional trial-and-error approaches and offers a comprehensive and unbiased view of reactivity. This capability not only accelerates the discovery of new transformations but also enables a deeper understanding of catalytic mechanisms and the factors that govern selectivity. The impact of HTE extends across a wide range of applications: from the rapid screening of catalysts, ligands, and reaction conditions, to the exploration of large and diverse chemical spaces that would be impractical using conventional methods. Its integration into both academic and industrial research programs has proven essential for advancing sustainable synthesis, drug discovery, materials development, and fine chemicals production. By coupling automation with rigorous data analysis, HTE enables more systematic, reproducible, and predictive experimental campaigns. As such, it is reshaping the way chemists design and optimise synthetic routes, bridging fundamental research and practical application on a scale that was previously unattainable.

Este curso aborda o CO₂ como uma plataforma química estratégica na transição para uma economia de baixa emissão de carbono. Serão discutidos os fundamentos da ativação molecular do CO₂ e suas rotas de conversão em combustíveis por eletrocatálise, com ênfase em seletividade e eficiência energética. Além disso, o curso explora o uso do CO₂ como fonte de carbono C1 em reações químicas convencionais, catalíticas e fotoquímicas, voltadas à síntese de moléculas de alto valor agregado para a indústria química. Aspectos mecanísticos e computacionais serão apresentados, destacando o uso de simulações teóricas para compreender a reatividade do CO₂ e orientar o desenvolvimento racional de novos catalisadores e processos.