Center for Chemical Innovation: Center for Chemical Evolution

在NSF化学部的化学创新中心(CCI)计划和NASA的天体生物学计划的联合支持下，化学进化中心(CCE)将协调和支持理解生物聚合物的化学起源所必需的高度协作的研究，这可能代表着对生命化学起源的理解的根本性进步。特别是，CCE试图揭示原始生物聚合物，即最早的生命聚合物，是如何自发形成并启动功能进化的。该中心的工作分为四个研究主题：1)原核酸，2)原多肽，3)原多糖，4)积木和替代环境。CCE的目标是通过识别形成具有进化功能的聚合物所需的分子和过程来影响社会。朝着这一目标不断取得的进展将为新型聚合物的设计、开发和表征提供新的方法，如智能材料和治疗剂，这可能会产生经济影响和改善人类状况。加强参与该中心的学生和青年科学家的教育和职业发展，并对公众对化学的看法产生积极影响，是通过CCE教育努力实现的其他广泛影响。特别是，CCE将制定一个完全整合的研究和教育计划，其中包括一系列专业发展研讨会、年度研讨会和高度互动的指导文化，以培养学生和博士后成为独立的、跨学科的创新者和教育者。CCE还确定了独特的教育和公共场所，与儿童和年轻人合作，教育和激发他们关于化学的知识。CCE将继续与艺术家合作，为视觉展示、短视频动画、在国家公共广播电台播出的广播片段以及互动表演制作与化学相关的内容，以吸引所有年龄和教育水平的观众。CCE还计划通过与HBCU合作，在国家多样性会议(如NOBCChE和SACNAS)上赞助研究研讨会，并与学生组织合作举办全天的STEM活动，继续努力招募代表不足的少数群体。CCE的统一科学目标是证明小分子在模型益生环境中可以自组装成类似现有生物聚合物的聚合物并进行功能进化。CCE的四个研究主题是：1)原核酸-研究具有“前向兼容性”的原核酸，其中序列信息可以通过逐渐进化到当代RNA来保持和转移；2)原多肽-探索聚酯作为生前多肽合成过程中可能的多肽前体；3)原多糖-研究在看似合理的益生条件下多糖的合成；以及4)积木和替代环境-确定合理的益生反应、矿物来源、矿物催化剂和其他原生物聚合物合成的替代环境。这些研究主题的进展有望导致具有独特性质的分子、反应和聚合物的发现-这些性质可以在有机、聚合物、超分子和仿生化学领域找到各种创新应用。确定模型益生化学物质清单的内容还导致开发处理复杂化学混合物的新工具和方法，这些工具和方法很容易转移到纯化学和应用化学的许多其他领域。最终，了解生物聚合物的起源可能代表着我们在理解生命的化学起源方面的根本进步。

With joint support from the Center for Chemical Innovation (CCI) Program in the Division of Chemistry at NSF and the Astrobiology Program at NASA, the Center for Chemical Evolution (CCE) will coordinate and support the highly collaborative research necessary to understand the chemical origins of biopolymers, which may represent a fundamental advance in the understanding of the chemical origins of life. In particular, CCE seeks to uncover how proto-biopolymers, i.e. the earliest polymers of life, could have spontaneously formed and initiated functional evolution. The work of the Center is divided into four research themes: 1) Proto-Nucleic Acids, 2) Proto-Polypeptides, 3) Proto-Polysaccharides, 4) Building Blocks and Alternative Environments. CCE aims to impact society by identifying the molecules and processes necessary for the formation of polymers with the ability to evolve function. Continued progress towards this goal will provide new methods for the design, development, and characterization of novel polymers, such as smart materials and therapeutic agents, which could result in economic impacts and improvement of the human condition. Enhancing the education and career development of students and young scientists involved with the Center and making positive impacts on the public's perception of chemistry are additional broad impacts to be realized through CCE educational efforts. In particular, CCE will develop a fully integrated research and educational program which includes a professional development seminar series, an annual symposium, and a highly interactive mentoring culture that fosters the development of students and postdocs into independent, interdisciplinary innovators and educators. CCE has also identified unique educational and public venues to work with children and young people to educate and excite them about chemistry. CCE will continue to work with artists to produce chemistry-relevant content for visual displays, short video animations, radio pieces to be aired on national public radio, and interactive performances to engage audiences of all ages and educational levels. CCE also plans to continue its recruiting efforts to underrepresented minority groups by collaborating with HBCUs, sponsoring research symposia at national diversity conferences, such as NOBCChE and SACNAS, and partnering with student organizations on full-day STEM events.The unifying scientific objective of CCE is to demonstrate that small molecules, within a model prebiotic environment, can self-assemble into polymers resembling extant biopolymers and undergo functional evolution. The four research themes of the CCE are: 1) Proto-nucleic acids - studying proto-nucleic acids that are "forward compatible" where sequence information can be maintained and transferred through gradual evolution to contemporary RNA; 2) Proto-polypeptides - exploring polyesters as possible precursors of polypeptides during prebiotic peptide synthesis; 3) Proto-polysaccharides - studying polysaccharide synthesis under plausible prebiotic conditions; and 4) Building Blocks and Alternative Environments - identifying plausible prebiotic reactions, mineral sources, mineral catalysts, and alternative milieus for other proto-biopolymer synthesis. Progress on these research themes is expected to lead to the discovery of molecules, reactions, and polymers with unique properties - properties that could find a variety of innovative applications in the areas of organic, polymer, supramolecular, and biomimetic chemistry. Defining the contents of a model prebiotic chemical inventory also leads to the development of new tools and approaches for dealing with complex chemical mixtures that are readily transferable to many other areas of pure and applied chemistry. Ultimately understanding the origin of biopolymers could represent a fundamental advance in our understanding of the chemical origins of life.