Chemical and biochemical approaches for the design of functional supramolecular systems

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To achieve the best energy, time and catalytic performance of biological systems, nature has developed remarkable strategies that rely on self-assembly, structural hierarchy and synergetic properties of individual structural components. These strategies motivate us to conduct bio-inspired research to create molecules and strategies that follow biological examples for specific applications. Our research program aims the fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms in the self-assembly of functional systems towards two specific themes: 1) anion transporters to target cell membranes and 2) non covalent interactions in catalysis. These strategies will be used to generate smart supramolecular systems based on our strong expertise in self-assembly, transmembrane transport, organic and bio-organic areas.***The first theme of the proposed research program includes the development of anionophores to specifically target cell membranes. We build on our existing expertise and move forcefully into a challenging and promising new direction, in which we focus our efforts on living cells. Efficient synthetic routes and first-hand experience with diverse families of anionophores developed in our group have the potential to yield new compounds that with uncovered new applications of anion transporters, as tools to study the relationship between their activity in mitochondria and their antibiotic properties. This work will yield new ways to deliver and target therapeutics.***The second research theme focuses on the development of supramolecular catalytic processes, where new functionalities/properties are explored for the design of new task-specific supramolecular catalysts. We will apply the fundamental knowledge acquired in the studies to identify and optimize the best hybrid systems to perform different metal-catalyzed reactions, eventually in water. The molecular-level understanding of biological activity and chemical reactivity in complex environments will enable construction and application of supramolecular architectures for precise catalytic applications.***The results of the proposed research program will lead to an enhanced understanding of the design principles developed by nature in the course of evolution, will bring new strategies in supramolecular chemistry and will significantly strengthen our ability to generate functional molecules with advanced properties.********