Our Research

Focus area 1: Peptide Synthesis 

Soluble, yet isolable supports are an attractive alternative to solid phase peptide synthesis as large excess of coupling reagents and amino acids can be avoided.  Our group has developed soluble poly(norbornene) and poly(styrene) derived supports with high loading capacities (~1 mmol/g) similar to solid phase peptide synthesis resins. The supports could be efficiently used for synthesizing tri- and octapeptides. We wish to optimize this methodology to develop soluble supports that are on par with solid phase supports.

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Focus Area 2: Self-assembly

Robust polymer pores that are functionalized in the interior find wide applications as stochastic sensors and catalysts. We are developing peptide templates to form functionalized pores. These peptides have a propensity to self-assemble to form nanotubes or spheres. We append monomer units to the templates, allow them to self-assemble and then polymerize the assembly. The monomers are appended to the peptides via cleavable linkers. This allows for removal of the templates to afford functionalized polymeric pores. We have developed carboxylated pores using this approach and are extending the methodology to incorporate other functional groups in the pore interior. 

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Focus Area 3: Ion-selective Channels 

Ion channel proteins are vital for the functioning of the nervous system, maintaining cell volume, cell pH and establishing a resting membrane potential. The selectivity of ion transport has been attributed to the functional groups or selectivity filters inside the pore. Additionally, the flow of ions across ion channels is regulated or gated by signals such as voltage, ligand-binding, pH or light. A precise understanding of transmembrane ion transport could facilitate the rational design of biomimetic molecular switches and sensors. We have developed acyclic octapeptides incorporated with aromatic units that form pores that transport ions across the lipid bilayer. These pores are easier to synthesize and transport ions three times faster than their cyclic analogs. The aromatic ring provides sites for internally functionalizing the pore. This new class of readily accessible pores opens up avenues for modulating the properties of pores by varying the nature of the aromatic group.

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