Susan Scheinberg

Susan Scheinberg
Name	Susan Scheinberg
Birth date	1940s
Birth place	New York City, United States
Occupation	Chemist, Professor, Researcher
Alma mater	Barnard College; Columbia University
Known for	Nucleic acid chemistry; antiviral research; ribozymes
Awards	Guggenheim Fellowship; American Chemical Society fellow

Susan Scheinberg was an American chemist and biochemist noted for her work on nucleic acids, ribozymes, and antiviral agents. Her career spanned teaching, laboratory research, and mentorship at leading institutions, contributing to advances in RNA chemistry, virology, and therapeutic development. She collaborated with researchers across universities and agencies, influencing both basic science and translational studies.

Early life and education

Scheinberg was born in New York City and raised in a scientifically engaged family with connections to the Columbia University community, the Rockefeller University neighborhood, and the broader Madison Avenue cultural milieu. She completed her undergraduate studies at Barnard College, where she studied under faculty influenced by research at Columbia University and the Morgan Library & Museum scientific outreach. She pursued graduate studies at Columbia University, receiving training that connected her to laboratories affiliated with the National Institutes of Health and the American Chemical Society networks. During her formative years she worked with mentors who had ties to investigators from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the California Institute of Technology.

Academic career and research

Scheinberg held faculty and research positions at institutions including a long-term appointment at a major northeastern university where she led a laboratory focusing on nucleic acid chemistry, enzymology, and antiviral compounds. Her groups investigated the catalytic properties of ribozyme systems, the chemical modification of oligonucleotides, and the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting viral replication. She trained graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who later joined faculties at places such as Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and University of California, San Francisco.

Her research integrated techniques from synthetic chemistry, enzymology, and molecular biology, employing methods developed in laboratories at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and The Rockefeller University. She collaborated on interdisciplinary projects with investigators from National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and industrial partners including teams at Pfizer, Merck & Co., and Roche. Her laboratory contributed to mechanistic studies of RNA folding, metal ion catalysis, and antisense strategies linked to therapeutics pursued in clinical research at institutions like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University.

Major publications and contributions

Scheinberg authored and coauthored numerous peer-reviewed articles in journals connected to societies such as the American Chemical Society and the Biochemical Society. Her publications addressed nucleotide analog synthesis, ribozyme catalysis, and antiviral design, citing foundational work from researchers at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Max Planck Society institutes. She contributed chapters to volumes produced by editorial boards affiliated with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Springer Nature, and Oxford University Press.

Her work on chemically modified oligonucleotides intersected with breakthroughs from groups at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in therapeutic oligonucleotide delivery and stability. Papers from her lab on ribozyme mechanisms paralleled discoveries by teams at University of Colorado Boulder and University of Wisconsin–Madison exploring catalytic RNA. She presented findings at meetings organized by the Gordon Research Conferences, Keystone Symposia, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, promoting cross-disciplinary exchange with investigators from European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Institut Pasteur.

Awards and honors

Throughout her career Scheinberg received recognition from national and international organizations. She was awarded a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and was elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society for contributions to nucleic acid chemistry. Her research received funding and merit support from agencies including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and she was invited to serve on panels and committees for the National Research Council and advisory groups for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Scheinberg was a recipient of distinguished lectureships at universities such as Columbia University, Harvard University, and Princeton University and was honored with symposia organized by professional societies including the Biophysical Society and the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Personal life and legacy

Scheinberg balanced a scientific career with commitments to mentorship, outreach, and institutional leadership, participating in activities with organizations like Women's International Zionist Organization and regional chapters of the Association for Women in Science. Colleagues recall her mentorship connecting mentees to networks at Brookhaven National Laboratory and national laboratories such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her legacy includes trainees who assumed roles at research centers such as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and clinical programs at Cleveland Clinic.

Her scientific contributions influenced subsequent developments in RNA therapeutics and antiviral strategies, informing research agendas at pharmaceutical companies like Moderna and BioNTech and academic consortia studying emerging pathogens at World Health Organization-linked initiatives. Archival materials, oral histories, and commemorations by institutions including Barnard College and Columbia University reflect her impact on generations of chemists and biochemists.

Category:American chemists Category:Women chemists