Tommy Nørskov Johansen

1990: M.Pharm. (cand.pharm.)
1993: Ph.D. (medicinal chemistry)

1989-1990: Research scholarship from The Lundbeck Foundation
1990-1993: Research scholarship from Royal Danish School of Pharmacy
1993-1994: Coordinator and secretary for the Ph.D. Committee, Royal Danish School of Pharmacy
1994-1995: Research associate at Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
1995-1998: Assistant professor at Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Royal Danish School of Pharmacy
1998-: Associate professor at Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Royal Danish School of Pharmacy

Research scholarship from The Lundbeck Foundation, 1989-1990
Research scholarship from Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, 1990-1993 

The graduate research was mainly focused on design, synthesis, and isotope labeling of heterocyclic amino acids, all containing the 3-hydroxyisoxazole moiety as a carboxylic acid bioisoster aiming at useful pharmacological tools for the characterization of the central glutamic acid receptors. Interesting structure-activity relationships at subtypes of ionotropic glutamic acid receptors were identified during these studies.  

During a one-year postdoctoral stay at Vanderbilt University the interest in stereochemistry was developed through research dealing with stereochemical aspects of the molecular interaction between different carcinogens and DNA. The research in the glutamic acid receptor field has been continued in the postdoctoral period at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy with the main issues being stereochemical aspects of receptor-ligand interactions. Resolution of heterocyclic amino acids by classical diastereomeric salt formation or by using chiral HPLC as analytical as well as semi-preparative techniques have been important research tools in this line of work.

This ongoing research has identified new subtype-selective and very potent receptor agonists and has provided new insight in the stereochemical requirements for activation and blockade of glutamic acid receptors. Furthermore, it has lead to the identification of new compounds interacting with glutamic acid transporter proteins that are present in the central nervous system and responsible for the termination of glutamic acid neurotransmission.

34 publications (original and review articles in international scientific journals and books). Referee at one international scientific journal.

10 most recent publications: 

I.S. Zegar, P. Chary, R.J. Jabil, P.J. Tamura, T.N. Johansen, R.S. Lloyd, C.M. Harris, T.M. Harris, M.P. Stone. Multiple Conformations of an Intercalated (-)-(7S,8R,9S,10R)-N6-[10-(7,8,9,10 Tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrenyl)]-2'-deoxyadenosyl Adduct in the N-ras Codon 61 Sequence. Biochemistry 1998, 37, 16516-16528.

T.N. Johansen, B. Ebert, H. Bräuner-Osborne, M. Didriksen, K.K. Søby, U. Madsen, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen, L. Brehm. Excitatory Amino Acid Receptor Ligands. Resolution, Absolute Stereochemistry and Enantiopharmacology of 2-Amino-3-(4-butyl-3-hydroxyisoxazol-5-yl)propionic acid. Med. Chem. 1998, 41, 930-939.

T.N. Johansen, C.R. Hawes, G.J. Ellis, B. Ebert, T.B. Stensbøl, D.G. Thrige, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Synthesis of Deuterium and Tritium labelled (RS)-2-Amino-3-(5-tert-butyl-3-hydroxy-4 isoxazolyl)propionic Acid (ATPA), a selective Kainic Acid Receptor Agonist. J. Labelled Compds. Radiopharm. 1999, 42, 937-947.

T.B. Stensbøl, L. Borre, T.N. Johansen, J. Egebjerg, U. Madsen, B. Ebert, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Resolution, Absolute Stereochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology of the Enantiomers of ATPA. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 1999, 380, 153-162.

D. Zimmermann, Y.L. Janin, L. Brehm, H. Bräuner-Osborne, B. Ebert, T.N. Johansen, U. Madsen, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. 3-Pyrazolone Analogues of the 3-Isoxazolol metabotropic Excitatory Amino Acid Receptor Agonist Homo-AMPA. Synthesis and Pharmacological Testing. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 1999, 34, 967-976.

S.B. Vogensen, H.S. Jensen, T.B. Stensbøl, K. Frydenvang, B. Bang-Andersen, T.N. Johansen, J. Egebjerg, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Resolution, Configurational Assignment, and Enantiopharmacology of 2-Amino-3-[3 hydroxy-5-(2-methyl-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)isoxazol-4-yl]propionic Acid, a Potent GluR3- and GluR4-Preferring AMPA Receptor Agonist. Chirality 2000, 12, 705-713.

H. Bräuner-Osborne, M.B. Hermit, B. Nielsen, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen, T.N. Johansen. A New Structural Class of Subtype-selective Inhibitor of Cloned Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter, EAAT2. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2000, 406, 41-44.

T.B. Stensbøl, H.S. Jensen, B. Nielsen, B., T.N. Johansen, J. Egebjerg, K. Frydenvang, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Stereochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology of (S)-thio-ATPA, a new potent and selective GluR5 Agonist. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2001, 411, 245-253.

L. Bunch, T.H. Johansen, H. Bräuner-Osborne, T.B. Stensbøl, T.N. Johansen, P. Krogsgaard-Larsen, U. Madsen. Synthesis and Receptor Binding Affinity of New Selective GluR5 Ligands. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2001, 9, 875-879.

H. Kromann, F. Sløk, T.N. Johansen, P. Krogsgaard Larsen. A convenient Synthesis of 4-substituted 3-Ethoxy-5-methylisoxazoles by Palladium Catalyzed Coupling Reactions. Tetrahedron 2001, 57, 2195-2201.