Antifungal activity of eumelanin-inspired indoylenepheyleneethynylene against .

is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes meningitis in >152,000 immunocompromised individuals annually, leading to 112,000 yearly deaths. The four classes of existing antifungal agents target plasma membrane sterols (ergosterol), nucleic acid synthesis, and cell wall synthesis. Existing drugs are not highly effective against , and antifungal drug resistance is an increasing problem.

Eumelanin-Inspired Antimicrobial with Biocidal Activity against Methicillin-Resistant .

The reliance on antibiotics and antimicrobials to treat bacterial infectious diseases is threatened by the emergence of antibiotic resistance and multi-drug-resistant organisms, thus having the potential to greatly impact human health. Thus, the discovery and development of antimicrobials capable of acting on antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a major area of significance in scientific research. Herein, we present the development of a eumelanin-inspired antimicrobial capable of killing methicillin-resistant (MRSA).

Development and Characterization of Novel Conductive Sensing Fibers for In Vivo Nerve Stimulation.

Advancements in electrode technologies to both stimulate and record the central nervous system's electrical activities are enabling significant improvements in both the understanding and treatment of different neurological diseases. However, the current neural recording and stimulating electrodes are metallic, requiring invasive and damaging methods to interface with neural tissue. These electrodes may also degrade, resulting in additional invasive procedures.

Covalently Loaded Naloxone Nanoparticles as a Long-Acting Medical Countermeasure to Opioid Poisoning.

The mu opioid receptor antagonist naloxone has been a vital, long-standing countermeasure in the ongoing battle against opioid use disorders (OUD) and toxicity. However, due to its distinctive short elimination half-life, naloxone has shown diminished efficacy in cases of synthetic opioid poisoning as larger or repeated doses of the antidote have been required to achieve adequate reversal of severe respiratory depression and prevent episodes of renarcotization. This report describes the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of a novel, nanoparticle-based naloxone formulation that provides extended protection against the toxic effects of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

"Benchtop" Biaryl Coupling Using Pd/Cu Cocatalysis: Application to the Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers.

Typically, Suzuki couplings used in polymerizations are performed at raised temperatures in inert atmospheres. As a result, the synthesis of aromatic materials that utilize this chemistry often demands expensive and specialized equipment on an industrial scale. Herein, we describe a bimetallic methodology that exploits the distinct reactivities of palladium and copper to perform high yielding aryl-aryl dimerizations and polymerizations that can be performed on a benchtop under ambient conditions.

A Diverse View of Science to Catalyse Change.

Valuing diversity leads to scientific excellence, the progress of science and most importantly, it is simply the right thing to do. We can value diversity not only in words, but also in actions.

Covalent Poly(lactic acid) Nanoparticles for the Sustained Delivery of Naloxone.

The opioid epidemic currently plaguing the United States has been exacerbated by an alarming rise in fatal overdoses as a result of the proliferated abuse of synthetic mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists, such as fentanyl and its related analogues. Attempts to manage this crisis have focused primarily on widespread distribution of the clinically approved opioid reversal agent naloxone (Narcan); however, due to the intrinsic metabolic lability of naloxone, these measures have demonstrated limited effectiveness against synthetic opioid toxicity. This work reports a novel polymer-based strategy to create a long-acting formulation of naloxone with the potential to address this critical issue by utilizing covalent nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery technology.

Eumelanin-inspired core derived from vanillin: a new building block for organic semiconductors.

An eumelanin-inspired core derived from the natural product, vanillin (vanilla bean extract) was utilized for the synthesis of eumelanin-inspired small molecules and polymer via Sonogashira cross coupling. The materials demonstrate that the methyl 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxy-N-methyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylate core can serve as a new building block for organic semiconductors.

Multi-layered analyses using directed partitioning to identify and discriminate between biogenic amines.

Multiple layers of statistical analyses were used to decipher the response from a single, cross-reactive conjugated polymer (1) providing enhanced classification accuracies over traditional multivariate statistical approaches. This analysis was demonstrated by classifying a series of seven biologically relevant, nonvolatile amines (i.e.

A food freshness sensor using the multistate response from analyte-induced aggregation of a cross-reactive poly(thiophene).

A single cross-reactive conjugated polymer generates a multidimensional response capable of identifying and differentiating between 22 structurally similar and biologically relevant amines with 97% accuracy in a highly competitive aqueous environment. Statistical analysis on an array of wavelengths was used to assess the viability of this approach. In a separate investigation, the multidimensional response from a single cross-responsive poly(thiophene) has been analyzed using a different ratiometric method to quantify the amount of biogenic amine present in a fish matrix, thereby evaluating the quality of the food.

Cross-reactive conjugated polymers: analyte-specific aggregative response for structurally similar diamines.

A single cross-reactive conjugated polymer (poly(thiophene) 1) generates unique spectral patterns in response to structurally similar diamines. Multivariate statistics are used to deconvolute subtle variations in these spectral responses, allowing for identification and quantification of the analytes with >99% accuracy.