Research |
DYNANO’s Scientific ContextFrom Dynamic Chemistry…Constitutional dynamic chemistry allows for the simple generation of large chemical systems from small sets of building blocks based on reversible interconversion between the system constituents. ... To Dynamic Interactive NanosystemsConstitutional dynamic chemistry is becoming increasingly important in nanotechnology: it gives rise to complex dynamic interactive nanosystems. These systems undergo a continual evolution in constitution, which produces structural diversity at a nanoscale level.
From Constitutional Dynamic chemistry to Dynamic Interactive Nanosystems Dynamic Interactive Nanosystems’ advantages
Glyconanoplatforms as multivalent nanodevicesOur recent understanding of the functions of post-synthetically modified biomolecules is central to the field of glycobiology, where highly intricate structures form the basis for a wide variety of biological functions related to cell- and molecular communication.
DYNANO addresses the multivalency feature (multiple interactions) and its effects on glycan recognition in a highly distinctive way: the information content & quality stored in glycan ensembles will be studied using biomimetic nanoplatforms.
Applications in biomedicine and biotechnologyReal-time label-free analysis of biological interactionsAn important way to tackle the above challenges in terms of application is related to surface-based systems for biosensing in terms of real-time label-free analysis of biological interactions. These systems often exploit the electro-optical properties of metals, piezoelectric properties (Quartz Crystal Microbalance, QCM) and electrochemical transduction. QCM has been used extensively in e.g. DNA hybridisation, protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate interactions. However, a general limitation in QCM methodology is the small molecule sensitivity. Amplification methods are required in order to study such biorecognition processes, and the biosensing nanosystems developed within DYNANO can be directly adapted to these instrument platforms. Cell assays, drug development & diagnosticsThe data obtained thanks to DYNANO will be important in drug development and diagnostics, predominantly regarding cancer, since tumours with increased ratio of stem cell-like cells are characterised with unfavourable prognoses for the patients. During inflammation, there is tremendous molecular plasticity of the tissues, and many of the modifications are dynamic. These dynamic modifications have not yet been investigated systematically, and DYNANO's team takes up the challenge. |