Wilhelm A. Weihofen
Papers
1
Total Citations
17
H-Index
1
About
Wilhelm A. Weihofen is a structural biologist and biophysicist whose research centers on developing innovative microfluidic technologies to advance X-ray crystallography and small-molecule drug discovery. His most notable contribution is the design of a capillary-based microfluidic device that enables primary high-throughput room-temperature crystallographic screening, a breakthrough published in 2021 that has already garnered 17 citations. This work addresses a critical bottleneck in structural biology: the slow, labor-intensive process of screening protein crystals against compound libraries. By fabricating ultra-thin devices from UV-curable polymers using cleanroom photolithography, Weihofen’s platform dramatically accelerates the identification of protein–ligand interactions at room temperature, preserving physiologically relevant conformations often lost in cryogenic conditions. His approach bridges the gap between microfluidics and structural biology, offering a practical, scalable solution for early-stage drug development. Weihofen’s achievements reflect a rare combination of engineering precision and biological insight, positioning him as a rising authority in high-throughput crystallographic methods. His work holds particular promise for fragment-based drug design and the study of challenging targets, where rapid, room-temperature screening can reveal transient binding events critical for therapeutic intervention.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1