Supramolecular & Biomaterials Chemistry

Research

Research at the SBC group is comprised of the following research themes:

Supramolecular and biomaterials chemistry (Alexander Kros)

Prof. dr. Alexander Kros studies supramolecular systems in a biological environment. The unifying theme between the projects in my lab is specific molecular recognition, i.e. the intermolecular interaction between complementary molecules with high affinity and selectivity. Studying, imitating and dissecting processes from Nature and applying the underlying principles in model systems to mimic these processes or to design new functionalities is what drives our research. Examples are our efficient model system for membrane fusion, new drug delivery tools as well as designer biomaterials to obtain blood vessel networks for tissue engineering. Furthermore a novel allergy vaccine platform is currently being developed based on peptide amphiphile assembly. Read more

Supramolecular materials: from biosensors to cell delivery devices (Roxanne Kieltyka)

The group of Dr. Roxanne Kieltyka designs and synthesizes molecules that self-assemble into polymeric materials using specific non-covalent interactions. These substrates can be used for numerous applications in medicine ranging from disease detection to cell delivery depending on the (bio)molecular design of the self-assembling modules. Read more on the Kieltyka Group website

New generation of graphene biosensors based on smooth surfaces and sharp edges (Gregory Schneider)

The surface and the edges of graphene are expected to provide higher sensitivity and specificity in detecting and characterizing single molecules. However fundamental physical limits exist in reaching an ultimate precision in detecting the dynamics of chemical and biological systems. The research in the group of Dr. Gregory Schneider focuses on two fundamental aspects that need to be characterized in order to use graphene as an ideal sensor material: i) how to effectively interface graphene devices with biological materials so that detection becomes sensitive and selective, and ii) understand and characterize the chemical reactivity of ‘just made’ graphene edges. Exploiting the full potential offered by graphene as a natural material in sensing applications will only be possible through in-depth fundamental research of these two limiting aspects. Read more on the Schneider Lab website

Artificial stimuli-responsive transmembrane transport systems and dynamic self-assembling materials to study and manipulate biological systems (Sander Wezenberg)

The research in the Wezenberg group is focused on the development of stimuli-responsive molecular receptors and self-assembling materials. Our aim is to use these to study and manipulate biological systems. To this end, a highly interdisciplinary approach is taken, which combines synthetic organic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and photochemistry.

A major part of our research program involves photodynamic control of anion binding and liposomal membrane transport as well as inter-liposomal communication. We are also interested in creating polymeric and self-assembled materials with switchable function. Our mission is to find new diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents that improve human health. Read more on the Wezenberg group website