David Klenerman

Professor Sir David Klenerman FRS FMedSci
Born	September 1959 (age 65)[2]
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (MA, PhD)
Known for	Illumina dye sequencing Scanning ion-conductance microscopy Super-resolution microscopy Solexa
Children	2 (Laura & Anna)
Awards	RSC Interdisciplinary Award (2007)[1] Royal Medal (2018) Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2022) Canada Gairdner International Award (2024)
Scientific career
Fields	Biophysical chemistry
Institutions	University of Cambridge Stanford University
Thesis	Infrared chemiluminescence using a SISAM spectrometer (1985)
Doctoral advisor	Ian William Murison Smith
Other academic advisors	Richard Zare
Website	klenermangroup.co.uk

Sir David Klenerman (born 1959) is a British biophysical chemist and a professor of biophysical chemistry at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge^[3] and a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge.^[4]

He is best known for his contribution in the field of next-generation sequencing of DNA (that subsequently resulted in Solexa, a high-speed DNA sequencing company that he co-founded),^{[2][5][6][7][8]} nanopipette-based scanning ion-conductance microscopy,^[9][10] and super-resolution microscopy.^[11]

Early life and education

Klenerman is the son of two South African-born Jews.^[12] He was educated at the University of Cambridge where he was an undergraduate student of Christ's College, Cambridge and received his BA degree in 1982.^[13] He earned his PhD degree in chemistry in 1986 as a postgraduate student of Churchill College, Cambridge and was supervised by Ian William Murison Smith.^[14][1][13]

Career and research

After his doctorate, Klenerman went to Stanford University as a Fulbright scholar to work on high-overtone chemistry, with Richard Zare. After his postdoctoral research at Stanford, he returned to United Kingdom to work in BP Research for seven years. Then, in 1994, he joined the University of Cambridge, as a faculty member of the Department of Chemistry and a fellow of Christ's College.^[1][13][15]

Klenerman, along with Shankar Balasubramanian, invented a method of next-generation DNA sequencing which is commonly known today as the Solexa sequencing or Illumina dye sequencing.^[5][7] The method is based on the detection of fluorophore labelled nucleotides as they get incorporated in the DNA strands.^[16] This sequencing by synthesis method gained popularity,^[17][18] and is currently regarded as the most widely used platform to replace conventional Sanger sequencing technique, despite its comparatively low multiplexing capability of samples, as it offers several key advantages: it is automated, quick, highly accurate, capable of sequencing multiple strands simultaneously via massive parallel sequencing, and economically cheaper in case of whole genome sequencing.^[19][20][21]

He is also known for exploring nanopipette-based (instead of conventional micropipette-based) scanning ion-conductance microscopy methods.^[9][22] His research group was successful in achieving very high resolution topographic images of live-cells, in hopping mode imaging, in precise delivery of small molecules to cell, and in studying real time detailed cell-functioning.^[10][23][24]

Most recently, his group is focusing on 3D super-resolution microscopy to develop new insights on protein misfolding and neurodegenerative diseases.^[11]

Commercial activities

Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian commercialised their invention on the single-molecule-fluorescence based high-speed DNA sequencing and jointly founded Solexa in 1998. Later, in 2007, this company was acquired by Illumina for $600 million.^{[5][25][26][27][28]}

In 2004, Klenerman co-founded another spin-out company, Ionscope, to supply assembled scanning ion-conductance microscopes to the research community that looks for high-resolution 3D images of live cells. As per the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, as of February 2014, Ionscope sold 35 SICM units worldwide.^[29]

Awards and honours

The major awards and honours that Klenerman received in recognition of his research work:

• 2007: Awarded RSC Interdisciplinary Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry.^[1]
• 2008: Delivered the British Biophysical Society Lecture at the University College Dublin.^[30]
• 2012: Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).^[31]
• 2015: Elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci).^[32]
• 2018: Awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society.^[33]
• 2019: knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to science and the development of high-speed DNA sequencing technology^[34]
• 2020: Won Millennium Technology Prize along with Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian on their innovation of Next Generation DNA Sequencing
• 2021: Won the 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences along with Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian and Pascal Mayer on their innovation of Next Generation DNA Sequencing^[35]
• 2024: Canada Gairdner International Award^[36]

References

1. "Interdisciplinary Award 2007 Winner". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
2. "David KLENERMAN - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
3. "Professor David Klenerman FMedSci FRS". Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
4. "Professor David Klenerman". Christ's College, Cambridge. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
5. "History of Illumina Sequencing". Illumina. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
6. Davies, Kevin (7 September 2010). The $1,000 Genome. Free Press. pp. 102–115. ISBN 978-1416569596. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
7. Bentley, DR; Balasubramanian, S; Swerdlow, HP; et al. (6 November 2008). "Accurate whole human genome sequencing using reversible terminator chemistry". Nature. 456 (7218): 53–59. Bibcode:2008Natur.456...53B. doi:10.1038/nature07517. PMC 2581791. PMID 18987734.
8. "The Solexa Story". Bio-IT World. No. September–October 2010. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
9. "Nanodoodling shows pipette power". BBC News. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
10. "Drawing With DNA: Nanopipette allows voltage-controlled delivery of biomolecules to a surface". Chemical & Engineering News. Vol. 83, no. 44. American Chemical Society. 31 October 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
11. Hell, Stefan W.; Sahl, Steffen J.; Bates, Mark; Zhuang, Xiaowei; Heintzmann, Rainer; Booth, Martin J.; Bewersdorf, Joerg; Shtengel, Gleb; Hess, Harald; Tinnefeld, Philip; Honigmann, Alf; Jakobs, Stefan; Testa, Ilaria; Cognet, Laurent; Lounis, Brahim; Ewers, Helge; Davis, Simon J.; Eggeling, Christian; Klenerman, David; Willig, Katrin I.; Vicidomini, Giuseppe; Castello, Marco; Diaspro, Alberto; Cordes, Thorben; Steffen J. Sahl; Tinnefeld, Philip; Klenerman, David; Katrin I. Willig (14 October 2015). "The 2015 super-resolution microscopy roadmap". Journal of Physics D. 48 (44): 443001. arXiv:1711.04999. Bibcode:2015JPhD...48R3001H. doi:10.1088/0022-3727/48/44/443001. S2CID 4804015.
12. Frazer, Jenni (28 December 2018). "Seven Holocaust survivors on New Year's Honours List". Jewish News. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
13. Anon (2017). "Klenerman, Prof. David". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.266724. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
14. Klenerman, David (1985). Infrared chemiluminescence using a SISAM spectrometer. lib.cam.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Cambridge. OCLC 499899771. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.355881.
15. "David Klenerman elected FRS". Christ's College, Cambridge. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
16. Balasubramanian, Shankar (4 May 2011). "Sequencing nucleic acids: from chemistry to medicine". Chemical Communications. 47 (26): 7281–7286. doi:10.1039/c1cc11078k. PMC 3428630. PMID 21544287.
17. Quail, Michael A (25 November 2008). "A large genome center's improvements to the Illumina sequencing system". Nature Methods. 5 (12): 1005–1010. doi:10.1038/nmeth.1270. PMC 2610436. PMID 19034268.
18. Cronn, Richard (27 August 2008). "Multiplex sequencing of plant chloroplast genomes using Solexa sequencing-by-synthesis technology". Nucleic Acids Research. 36 (19): e122. doi:10.1093/nar/gkn502. PMC 2577356. PMID 18753151.
19. Metzker, Michael L. (8 December 2009). "Sequencing technologies – the next generation". Nature Reviews Genetics. 11 (1): 31–46. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.719.3885. doi:10.1038/nrg2626. PMID 19997069. S2CID 205484500.
20. Pettersson, Erik; Lundeberg, Joakim; Ahmadian, Afshin (2009). "Generations of sequencing technologies". Genomics. 93 (2): 105–111. doi:10.1016/j.ygeno.2008.10.003. PMID 18992322.
21. Quail, Michael A (24 July 2012). "A tale of three next generation sequencing platforms: comparison of Ion Torrent, Pacific Biosciences and Illumina MiSeq sequencers". BMC Genomics. 13 (341): 341. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-13-341. PMC 3431227. PMID 22827831.
22. Shevchuk, Andrew I (2011). "Realizing the biological and biomedical potential of nanoscale imaging using a pipette probe". Nanomedicine. 6 (3): 565–575. doi:10.2217/nnm.10.154. PMID 21542692.
23. Chen, Chiao-Chen; Zhou, Yi; Baker, Lane A. (2012). "Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy". Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry. 5 (207): 207–228. Bibcode:2012ARAC....5..207C. doi:10.1146/annurev-anchem-062011-143203. PMID 22524219.
24. Bergner, Stefan; Vatsyayan, Preety; Matysik, Frank-Michael (2 May 2013). "Recent advances in high resolution scanning electrochemical microscopy of living cells – A review". Analytica Chimica Acta. 775: 1–13. Bibcode:2013AcAC..775....1B. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2012.12.042. PMID 23601970.
25. "Cutting the UK science budget would be a false economy". Financial Times. The Nikkei. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
26. "$600m for DNA firm". Varsity. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
27. "Illumina Buys Solexa". Forbes. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
28. "Illumina to Buy Solexa For $600 Million in Stock". The Wall Street Journal. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
29. "New microscope technology enables imaging of live cells". BBSRC. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
30. "British Biophysical Society Lecture Tour". University College Dublin. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
31. "David Klenerman: Royal Society". Fellows Directory. Royal Society. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
32. "Fellow: Academy of Medical Sciences". Academy of Medical Sciences, United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
33. Royal Medal 2018, Royal society.org. Accessed 30 January 2023.
34. "2019 New Year Honours List" (PDF). gov.uk. 31 December 2018.
35. "Breakthrough Prize – Winners Of The 2022 Breakthrough Prizes In Life Sciences, Fundamental Physics And Mathematics Announced". breakthroughprize.org. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
36. Canada Gairdner International Award 2024