Theresa M. Reineke

Theresa M. Reineke (born January 1, 1972) is an American chemist and Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota. She designs sustainable, environmentally friendly polymer-based delivery systems for targeted therapeutics. She is the associate editor of ACS Macro Letters.

Reineke earned her bachelor's degree at University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.^[1] She moved to Arizona State University for her graduate studies and earned a master's degree in 1998.^[1][2] Reineke was a PhD student at the University of Michigan, where she was supervised by Michael O'Keeffe and Omar M. Yaghi.^[1][3] She was awarded the Wirt and Mary Cornell Prize for Outstanding Graduate Research. Reineke joined the California Institute of Technology as an National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow in 2000.^[1]

Reineke joined the University of Minnesota in 2011. Her research group focus on the design, characterisation and functionalisation of macromolecular systems.^[4][5] These macromolecules include biocompatible polymers that can deliver DNA for regenerative medicine as well as targeted therapeutic treatments.^[4] She was made a Lloyd H. Reyerson Professor with tenure at the University of Minnesota in 2011.^[1] Reineke has published over 140 papers.^[6]

Nucleic acids can have an unparalleled specificity for targets inside a cell, but need to be compacted into nanostructures (polyplexes) that can enter cells.^[7] Reineke designs polymer-based transportation systems for nucleic acids.^[7] These polymer vehicles can improve the solubility and bioavailability of drugs.^[8] These often incorporate carbohydrates, which have an affinity for polyplexes and are non-toxic.^[7] She is a member of the University of Minnesota Centre for Sustainable Polymers, synthesising polymers from sustainable ingredients. The carbohydrate units within her polymer drug delivery systems are a widely available, renewable resource.^[9] The sustainable polymers designed by Reineke include poly(ester-thioethers).^[9]

Reineke used reversible addition−fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization for the synthesis of diblock terpolymers that can be used for targeted drug delivery.^[10] She used spray dried dispersions of the polymer with the drug probucol.^[11]

Reineke was made a University of Minnesota Distinguished McKnight University Professor in 2017.^[1] She is the associate editor of ACS Macro Letters and on the Advisory Board of Biomacromolecules, Bioconjugate Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry.^[1] She is a member of the American Chemical Society Polymer Division.^[12] Her work has been supported by an National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a Sloan Research Fellowship, the National Institutes of Health and the National Academy of Sciences.^[13]

• 2000 Outstanding Graduate Research Award from the Wirt and Mary Cornell Prize^[1]
• 2003 American Chemical Society (PMSE Division), Arthur K. Doolittle Award^[14]
• 2007 YWCA Rising Star^[1]
• 2007 OH Bioscience Thirty in Their 30s Award^[1]
• 2012 American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy Outstanding New Investigator Award^[15]
• 2012 American Chemical Society, Polymer Materials: Science and Engineering Division Macro 2012 Lecture Award^[16]
• 2016 American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Fellow^[17]
• 2016 University of Minnesota Sara Evans Faculty Woman Scholar/Leader Award^[18]
• 2016 University of Minnesota George W. Taylor Award for Distinguished Research^[19]
• 2017 American Chemical Society Polymer Chemistry Division Carl S. Marvel Creative Polymer Chemistry Award^[20]
• 2018 Danisco Foundation DuPont Nutrition and Health Science Excellence Medal^[21][22]
• 2018 American Chemical Society POLY Fellow Award^[23]
• 2018 Big 10 Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellow^[24]

• 2014 Monomers, polymers and articles containing the same from sugar derived compounds^[25]
• 2018 Isosorbide-based polymethacrylates^[26]

• The Reineke Research Group