Our lab is interested in using organic chemistry as a tool to study problems in biology and materials science. The foundation of our interdisciplinary program lies in organic synthesis that allows for designing structures with tailored chemical function. In addition to synthetic techniques, students will be trained in a broad range of analytical and biological methods to probe the molecular details of their systems. Brief description of some ongoing research areas pursued in the group are as follows:

Mobirise

Development of amyloid-targeting fluorescent probes

The goal of this research is to develop molecular probes that exhibit turn-on fluorescence upon binding to amyloids. Amyloids are a natural class of protein- or peptide containing materials that are heterogeneous in size, morphology, and composition. Deposition of amyloid plaques in the brain represents a universal feature of many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and precedes clinical symptoms by several years. We have recently designed a new family of fluorescent probes that can label amyloids in tissue. Importantly, we demonstrated that these probes can be tuned in a way that allows not only enhanced fluorescence visualization of amyloids but also colorimetric discrimination of the amyloids as a function of their protein composition. Such discriminating ability may enable accurate determination of specific neurodegenerative diseases, thereby aiding in selection of a proper course of treatment. A major focus of this research is to develop new bright and tunable fluorescence probes with high binding affinity and selectivity to specific amyloid targets. The ultimate goal is to translate these probes into clinically useful technologies by developing rapid, low cost, and reliable methods for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of amyloid-associated diseases.

Mobirise

Development of molecules that improve memory and learning