Dr. Jörg Hamm studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at FU Berlin and completed his PhD at EMBL Heidelberg, focusing on RNA-protein interaction and RNA transport between nucleus and cytoplasm.
This marked the beginning of a prolonged period of “academic migration.” It started at Columbia University/NYC, where he investigated ribozyme expression in transgenic mice, aided by an EMBO long-term fellowship.
Subsequently, he relocated to Italy, assuming a role as a scientist at IRBM in Pomezia, near Rome. This institute, funding supported by Merck & Sigma Tau, allowed him to develop structurally constrained RNA libraries to isolate aptamers that mimic antibody-binding protein domains. While collaborating with a group studying hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in cell culture, he helped to select aptamers that could inhibit HCV replication in cell culture.
Continuing this research at the newly established Wellcome Trust Centre in Dundee, Scotland, he, as an Honorary Lecturer, partnered with a group specializing in protein kinases to create RNA aptamers that could interfere with kinase activity. They used a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to select RNA mimics of the kinase domain involved in catalytic activity.
Towards the end of his time at the Wellcome Trust Centre, he joined the first European Imaging Network, EMIL, which delved into the development of tumor-specific PET-probes using combinatorial RNA libraries. He focused on the selection of tumor-specific RNA aptamers, which were utilized for PET imaging studies at CEA Orsay in France by the coordinating group of EMIL.
After the first year of the EMIL project, he transferred to the Molecular Biotechnology Center (MBC) at the University of Torino in Italy, redirecting his funds to MBC. Upon completion of the EMIL project, he shifted his focus to non-invasive in vivo imaging.
For two years, he collaborated on multi-centre MRI imaging projects and initiated a project with a Spanish group from Barcelona to study ischemia in mouse stroke models using MRI.
He then purchased an IVIS Spectrum instrument (Perkin Elmer/Revvity), focusing on non-invasive optical imaging in preclinical research, collaborating on various projects, one of which involved analyzing different tumor cell line growths in mice.
He also worked on identifying tissue-specific expressions of different AAV-virus isotypes in mice using luciferase reporter genes inserted into AAV vectors of various isotypes, determining organ-specific expressions through non-invasive whole-body imaging. During these studies, he frequently liaised with application specialists from, what was then, Caliper Life Sciences (Now: Perkin Elmer/Revvity), the company that supplied the IVIS to MBC.
When a position opened for a Field Application Specialist based in Europe, Jörg was recruited by Caliper Life Sciences (Now: Perkin Elmer/Revvity). For the next 11 years, he travelled through Europe and Scandinavia, supporting, and training IVIS optical imaging instrument users in the preclinical research community. He relocated to Leiden in the Netherlands to streamline his travels across Europe, providing easier access to Amsterdam Airport.
Recently, Jörg joined the Scintica Team to represent their preclinical imaging product portfolio throughout Europe and Scandinavia.
