Department of Chemistry Seminar - Intracellular Peptide Assemblies for Cancer Therapy

Speaker: Professor Bing XU

Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 024542, USA

Hosted By: Professor Hongkai WU

Abstract

Subcellular compartmentalization is a key feature of eukaryotic cells. Selectively targeting subcellular organelles, though holding many exciting opportunities for biomedicine, remains underdeveloped. Enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA), an approach that integrate enzymatic reactions and self-assembly, allows dynamic conversions from single molecules into larger supramolecular nanostructures for targeting subcellular organelles. In this talk, we discuss the use of EISA to generate intracellular peptide assemblies for targeting mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, and nucleus. Particularly, we will show the use of EISA to generate peptide assemblies, as in-situ nanomedicine, for developing therapeutics to counter drug resistance and immunosuppression in cancer therapy.

Biography

Bing Xu, after receiving his BS and MS degrees from Nanjing University in 1987 and 1990, respectively, obtained his PhD in 1996 from the University of Pennsylvania. Before starting his independent research at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)on the Aug. 2000, he was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. Dr. Xu was a tenured professor at HKUST until Jul. 2008 before he returned to Boston. He currently is a professor in the Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University. He has made pioneering contributions to metallogels, multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles, self-delivery drugs, supramolecular hydrogels, and enzyme-instructed self-assembly for in-situ anticancer nanomedicine. His current research focuses on the applications of enzymatic noncovalent synthesis in materials, biology, and medicine.