Dr. Stefan Schiller

Research Interests

• Chemical Systems Biology: Modular Cells – creating cells with additional entities comprising de novo organelles & compartment formation, expansion of the genetic code, enyzme redesign, bioorthogonal protein functionalization and heterobisfunctional linker chemistry; Minimalist Protocells with metabolic functions and non-linear synthetic system networks; Signalling Components: Lipid & Carbohydrate conjugate libraries; novel unnatural amino acids for site specific in vivo translation introducing defined posttranslational modification pattern; spatiotemporal signaling platforms, design of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and membraneless compartments/organelles formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) with applications in synthetic biology and pharmacy.
• Synthetic Biology & Bionanotechnology and Development of new bioorthogonal components e.g. for the in vivo translational machinery; novel systems to assemble genetic information to construct nano-defined block copolymer proteins; environment sensitive protein switches; genetically encoded bis-bioorthogonal biomolecular conjugation systems; interactive & responsive protein-based material systems with defined internal & external structure accessed via self-organization and 3D printing instructing cells enabling bidirectional signal regulation and processing; tissue scaffolds with adjustable mechanical properties; pseudoenzyme moieties;  AI in biotechnological production of biomaterials.
• Bionic Material Science - Biopharmaceutical and biomedical material systems Dynamic non-equilibrium biomaterials for adaptive autonomous systems, synthesis of polymeric nanomaterials; barrel & donut-forming proteins for nanoparticle assembly (supermagnets e.g. for drug localization); nanoparticle controlled enzymatic catalysts e.g.  for controlled polymerization of renewable monomers, green catalysts, oriented nano-confined nano-particle architectures using methods from biomineralization and “non-classical” crystallization, 5D Printing of Protein Micro- &  Nanostructures; Mechanical Metmaterials & compliant mechanisms; Programmed 3D scaffolds & asymmetric nano-layer scaffolds for  stem cell niches & regenerative medicine; amphiphilic block-domain polypeptides for stabilization, formulation & targeted delivery of bioactives/APIs.

10 selected publications

• Directed Assembly of Elastin-like Proteins into defined Supramolecular Structures and Cargo Encapsulation In Vitro.
  Schreiber A, Stühn LG, Geissinger SE, Huber MC, Schiller SM.
  J Vis Exp. 2020 Apr 8;(158).
• Adjustable Bioorthogonal Conjugation Platform for Protein Studies in Live Cells Based on Artificial Compartments.
  Geissinger SE, Schreiber A, Huber MC, Stühn LG, Schiller SM.
  ACS Synth Biol. 2020 Apr 17;9(4):827-842.
• Minimalist Protocell Design: A Molecular System Based Solely on Proteins that Form Dynamic Vesicular Membranes Embedding Enzymatic Functions.
  Huber MC, Schreiber A, Schiller SM.
  Chembiochem. 2019 Oct 15;20(20):2618-2632.
• Self-Assembly Toolbox of Tailored Supramolecular Architectures Based on an Amphiphilic Protein Library.
  Schreiber A, Stühn LG, Huber MC, Geissinger SE, Rao A, Schiller SM.
  Small. 2019 Jul;15(30):e1900163.
• Prebiotic Protocell Model Based on Dynamic Protein Membranes Accommodating Anabolic Reactions.
  Schreiber A, Huber MC, Schiller SM.
  Langmuir. 2019 Jul 23;35(29):9593-9610.
• Designer amphiphilic proteins as building blocks for the intracellular formation of organelle-like compartments.
  Huber MC, Schreiber A, von Olshausen P, Varga BR, Kretz O, Joch B, Barnert S, Schubert R, Eimer S, Kele P, Schiller SM.
  Nat Mater. 2015 Jan;14(1):125-32
• Protein Adaptor with Genetically Encoded Interaction-Sites Guiding the Hierarchical Assembly of Plasmonically Active Nanoarchitectures.
  Schreiber A, Huber MC, Cölfen H, Schiller, SM.
  Nat Commun. 2015 Mar 27;6:6705
• Introducing a combinatorial DNA-toolbox platform constituting defined protein-based biohybrid-materials.
  Huber MC, Schreiber A, Wild W, Benz K, Schiller SM.
  Biomaterials. 2014 Oct;35(31):8767-79.
• Non-toxic catalysts for ring-opening polymerizations of biodegradable polymers at room temperature for biohybrid materials.
  Hege C, Schiller SM.
  Green Chem. 2014;16 (3), 1410-1416
• Biomimetische Lipo-Glycopolymer-Membranen: photochemische Oberflächenanbindung supramolekularer Architekturen mit definierter Orientierung.
  Schiller SM, Reisinger-Friebis A, Goetz H, Hawker CJ, Frank CW, Naumann R, Knoll W.
  Angew. Chem. 2009, 121, 7028-7032
  („Biomimetic Lipoglycopolymer Membranes: Photochemical Surface Attachment of Supramolecular Architectures with Defined Orientation“ Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2009, 48, (37) 6896-6899)