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2026

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Chemistry

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Citations
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Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Chemistry in Israel Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Chemistry in Israel Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Chemistry in Israel Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Materials Science in Israel Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Chemistry in Israel Leader Award
  • 2022 - Research.com Materials Science in Israel Leader Award
  • 2009 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Chemistry
  • 1996 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

Itamar Willner is affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. Their research spans the fields of biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and materials science, with significant contributions in subfields such as molecular biology, materials chemistry, biomedical engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, and biomaterials.

The main topics addressed in their work include:

  • Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
  • DNA and nucleic acid chemistry
  • RNA interference and gene delivery
  • Advanced nanomaterials in catalysis
  • Nanocluster synthesis and applications
  • Supramolecular self-assembly in materials
  • Lipid membrane structure and behavior

Willner has published extensively in several scientific journals. Their most frequent publication venues are:

  • Journal of the American Chemical Society
  • Angewandte Chemie International Edition
  • ACS Nano
  • Angewandte Chemie
  • Chemical Science

Among recent papers, notable titles include:

  • Biocatalytic cascades operating on macromolecular scaffolds and in confined environments, 2020, Nature Catalysis
  • Stimuli-responsive metal-organic framework nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery and medical applications, 2021, Chemical Society Reviews
  • pH- and miRNA-Responsive DNA-Tetrahedra/Metal-Organic Framework Conjugates: Functional Sense-and-Treat Carriers, 2021, ACS Nano
  • DNA Tetrahedra Modules as Versatile Optical Sensing Platforms for Multiplexed Analysis of miRNAs, Endonucleases, and Aptamer-Ligand Complexes, 2020, ACS Nano
  • Aptamer-Modified Cu2+-Functionalized C-Dots: Versatile Means to Improve Nanozyme Activities-"Aptananozymes", 2021, Journal of the American Chemical Society

Frequent collaborators in their research include Yu Ouyang, Rachel Nechushtai, Jianbang Wang, Yang Sung Sohn, and Zhixin Zhou.

Willner's scientific contributions have earned recognition, including election to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2009 for chemistry and being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1996.

Best Publications

  • Integrated Nanoparticle–Biomolecule Hybrid Systems: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

    Eugenii Katz;Itamar Willner

  • Nanoparticle arrays on surfaces for electronic, optical, and sensor applications.

    Andrew N. Shipway;Eugenii Katz;Itamar Willner

  • Probing Biomolecular Interactions at Conductive and Semiconductive Surfaces by Impedance Spectroscopy: Routes to Impedimetric Immunosensors, DNA‐Sensors, and Enzyme Biosensors

    Eugenii Katz;Itamar Willner

  • "Plugging into Enzymes": Nanowiring of Redox Enzymes by a Gold Nanoparticle

    Yi Xiao;Fernando Patolsky;Eugenii Katz;James F. Hainfeld

  • Diverse Applications of Nanomedicine

    Beatriz Pelaz;Christoph Alexiou;Ramon A. Alvarez-Puebla;Frauke Alves;Frauke Alves

  • Integration of Layered Redox Proteins and Conductive Supports for Bioelectronic Applications

    Itamar Willner;Eugenii Katz

  • Biomolecule‐Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes: Applications in Nanobioelectronics

    Eugenii Katz;Itamar Willner

  • Semiconductor quantum dots for bioanalysis.

    Ron Gill;Maya Zayats;Itamar Willner

  • Electronic Aptamer-Based Sensors

    Itamar Willner;Maya Zayats

  • Electroanalytical and Bioelectroanalytical Systems Based on Metal and Semiconductor Nanoparticles

    Eugenii Katz;Itamar Willner;Joseph Wang

  • DNAzymes for sensing, nanobiotechnology and logic gate applications

    Itamar Willner;Bella Shlyahovsky;Maya Zayats;Bilha Willner

  • Optical Analysis of Hg2+ Ions by Oligonucleotide–Gold-Nanoparticle Hybrids and DNA-Based Machines

    Di Li;Agnieszka Wieckowska;Itamar Willner

  • Aptamer-functionalized Au nanoparticles for the amplified optical detection of thrombin.

    Valeri Pavlov;Yi Xiao;Bella Shlyahovsky;Itamar Willner

  • Chemiluminescent and Chemiluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (CRET) Detection of DNA, Metal Ions, and Aptamer–Substrate Complexes Using Hemin/G-Quadruplexes and CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots

    Ronit Freeman;Xiaoqing Liu;Itamar Willner

  • Long‐Range Electrical Contacting of Redox Enzymes by SWCNT Connectors

    Fernando Patolsky;Yossi Weizmann;Itamar Willner

  • Enzyme cascades activated on topologically programmed DNA scaffolds

    Ofer I. Wilner;Yossi Weizmann;Ron Gill;Oleg Lioubashevski

  • Cover Picture: Increasing the Complexity of Periodic Protein Nanostructures by the Rolling‐Circle‐Amplified Synthesis of Aptamers (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1/2008)

    Zoya Cheglakov;Yossi Weizmann;Adam B. Braunschweig;Ofer I. Wilner

  • From Cascaded Catalytic Nucleic Acids to Enzyme–DNA Nanostructures: Controlling Reactivity, Sensing, Logic Operations, and Assembly of Complex Structures

    Fuan Wang;Chun-Hua Lu;Itamar Willner

  • Biocatalytic cascades driven by enzymes encapsulated in metal–organic framework nanoparticles

    Wei-Hai Chen;Margarita Vázquez-González;Amani Zoabi;Raed Abu-Reziq

  • Self-Powered Enzyme-Based Biosensors

    Eugenii Katz;and Andreas F. Bückmann;Itamar Willner

  • Organization of Au Colloids as Monolayer Films onto ITO Glass Surfaces: Application of the Metal Colloid Films as Base Interfaces To Construct Redox-Active Monolayers

    Amihood Doron;Eugenii Katz;Itamar Willner

Frequent Co-Authors

Evgeny Katz
Evgeny Katz Clarkson University
Fuan Wang
Fuan Wang Wuhan University
Fernando Patolsky
Fernando Patolsky Tel Aviv University
Michal Lahav
Michal Lahav Weizmann Institute of Science
Daniel Mandler
Daniel Mandler Hebrew University of Jerusalem
He Tian
He Tian East China University of Science and Technology
Raphael D. Levine
Raphael D. Levine Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Melvin Calvin
Melvin Calvin University of California, Berkeley
Di Li
Di Li East China Normal University
Zhen-Gang Wang
Zhen-Gang Wang California Institute of Technology

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