Seminar – September 8th, 11AM

The speaker, Bing Gong from the Department of Chemistry The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, NY, USA, will present a seminar entitled:

"Uncovering Rare and Potent Non-Fibrillar Tau Aggregates in Alzheimer’s Brain"

We have developed pore-containing helical aromatic oligoamides termed “hollow helices” which exhibit highly stable conformations. The folding of the oligoamides, driven by the intrinsically rigid aromatic oligoamide backbones, remains unaffected by oligomer length or side chain composition, and is preserved in both nonpolar and polar solvents. These hollow helices are in fact molecular nanotubes, featuring synthetically tunable lengths and defined inner pore diameters. The pores, lined with multiple inward-facing amide oxygen atoms, are strongly electronegative and capable of effective hydrogen bonding. Recent investigations reveal that our hollow helices serve as hosts for compatible guests in a 1:1 binding stoichiometry, with affinities ranking among the highest recorded in host–guest interactions. Notably, sub-femtomolar binding affinities (K_a > 10¹⁵ M⁻¹) have been attained in highly polar organic solvents, whereas in water, binding strengths remain exceptionally high, reaching the picomolar range (K_a > 10¹¹ M⁻¹). By stabilizing the intermediates and transition states in cationic reactions, the hollow helices exhibit enzyme-like catalytic properties, adhering to Michaelis–Menten kinetics and achieving rate enhancements exceeding 10⁴ fold. When embedded in lipid bilayers, these helices act as channels that efficiently transport or conduct molecules and ions. This channel functionality has enabled the development of nanopore sensors capable of discriminating among various amino acids, dipeptides, tripeptides, and oligosaccharides. In summary, hollow helices offer a distinctive structural platform that has enabled a range of functions, including high-affinity molecular recognition, enzyme-like organocatalysis, ion and molecular transport, and broad-spectrum sensing.

Biography: 

Professor Bing Gong received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Sichuan University in China in 1984. He attended the University of Chicago for his graduate education under the supervision of Professor David G. Lynn and received his Ph.D. in 1990. From 1991 to 1994, he was a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Fund Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory Professor Peter G. Schultz at the University of California, Berkeley. He began his independent academic career in 1994. Currently he is UB Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Widely acclaimed for his pioneering work in bio-inspired and supramolecular chemistry, Professor Bing Gong has performed research that has enabled precise control over intermolecular association, molecular folding, and the self-assembly of biomimetic architectures, results from which have deepened our understanding of the fundamental principles governing inter- and intramolecular interactions. Structures developed in his laboratory have led to the creation of ultrahigh-affinity hosts, enzyme-like organocatalysts, highly efficient ion and molecular channels, and novel nanopore sensors.