Internal Seminar: Shijin Zhang, Regulating Higher-Order Organization through the Synergy of Two Self-Sorted Assemblies

Internal Seminar

Speaker: Shijin Zhang, PhD Student, Bioinspired Soft Matter Unit (Ye Zhang Unit)

Title: Regulating Higher-Order Organization through the Synergy of Two Self-Sorted Assemblies

Abstract:

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the natural fibrous scaffold that regulates cell behavior in a hierarchical
manner. By mimicking the dynamic and reciprocal interactions between ECM and cells, higher-order molecular self-assembly (SA), mediated through the dynamic growth of scaffold-like nanostructures assembled by different molecular components, was developed. Designed and synthesized were two self-sorted coumarin-based gelators, a peptide molecule and a benzoate molecule, which self-assemble into nanofibers and nanobelts, respectively, with different dynamic profiles. Upon the dynamic growth of the fibrous scaffold assembled from peptide gelators, nanobelts assembled from benzoate gelators transform into a layer-by-layer nanosheet, reaching ninefold increase in height. By using light and an enzyme, the spatial–temporal growth of the scaffold can be modified, leading to in situ height regulation of the higher-order architecture.

Please join us for free pizza, soft drinks, and scientififc discusssion following the seminar, from 5-:530pm.