Chemically Inducible DNAzyme Sensor for Controllable Imaging of Metal Ions.

RNA-cleaving DNAzymes have emerged as a promising tool for metal ion detection. Achieving spatiotemporal control over their catalytic activity is essential for understanding the role of metal ions in various biological processes. While photochemical and endogenous stimuli-responsive approaches have shown potential for controlled metal ion imaging using DNAzymes, limitations such as photocytotoxicity, poor tissue penetration, or off-target activation have hindered their application for safe and precise detection of metal ions .

Site-Specific Bioorthogonal Activation of DNAzymes for On-Demand Gene Therapy.

RNA-cleaving DNAzymes hold great promise as gene silencers, and spatiotemporal control of their activity through site-specific reactions is crucial but challenging for on-demand therapy. We herein report a novel design of a bioorthogonally inducible DNAzyme that is deactivated by site-specific installation of bioorthogonal caging groups on the designated backbone sites but restores the activity a phosphine-triggered Staudinger reduction. We perform a systematical screening for installing the caging groups on each backbone site in the catalytic core of 10-23 DNAzyme and identify an inducible DNAzyme with very low leakage activity.

Self-Assembled Peptide Amphiphile Nanofibers for Controlled Therapeutic Delivery to the Atherosclerotic Niche.

Atherosclerotic plaque remains the leading contributor to cardiovascular disease and requires invasive surgical procedures for its removal. Nanomedicine offers a minimally invasive approach to alleviate plaque burden by targeted therapeutic delivery. However, nanocarriers are limited without the ability to sense and respond to the diseased microenvironment.

Development of Poly(1,8-octanediol--citrate--ascorbate) Elastomers with Enhanced Ascorbate Performance for Use as a Graft Coating to Prevent Neointimal Hyperplasia.

Small-diameter expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft surfaces have poor long-term patency due to limited endothelial cell (EC) coverage and anastomotic intimal hyperplasia. Multifunctional elastomers that coat the ePTFE graft surface to promote EC adhesion while simultaneously inhibiting intimal hyperplasia are highly desirable. Poly(diol--citrate) (PDC), a thermoset elastomer, is biodegradable, biocompatible, and mimics vascular mechanical properties.

"Roller-Wheel"-Type Pt-Containing Small Molecules and the Impact of "Rollers" on Material Crystallinity, Electronic Properties, and Solar Cell Performance.

We report the synthesis, characterization, and detailed comparison of a series of novel Pt-bisacetylide containing conjugated small molecules possessing an unconventional "roller-wheel" shaped structure that is distinctly different from the "dumbbell" designs in traditional Pt-bisacetylide containing conjugated polymers and small molecules. The relationships between the chemical nature and length of the "rollers" and the electronic and physical properties of the materials are carefully studied by steady-state spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, differential scanning calorimetry, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, transient absorption spectroscopy, theoretical calculation, and device application. It was revealed that if the roller are long enough, these molecules can "slip-stack" in the solid state, leading to high crystallinity and charge mobility.

A "roller-wheel" Pt-containing small molecule that outperforms its polymer analogs in organic solar cells.

A novel Pt-bisacetylide small molecule () featuring "roller-wheel" geometry was synthesized and characterized. When compared with conventional Pt-containing polymers and small molecules having "dumbbell" shaped structures, displays enhanced crystallinity and intermolecular π-π interactions, as well as favorable panchromatic absorption behaviors. Organic solar cells (OSCs) employing achieve power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) up to 5.

Rational design of a ratiometric fluorescent probe with a large emission shift for the facile detection of Hg2+.

A new ratiometric and colorimetric fluorescent probe for the highly selective, sensitive and facile detection of Hg(2+) has been rationally developed.

Periodic mesoporous organometallic silicas with unary or binary organometals inside the channel walls as active and reusable catalysts in aqueous organic reactions.

A new type of heterogenized organometallic catalysts, periodic mesoporous organometallic silicas with organometals and organic groups embedded in silica walls have been developed using surfactant-directed co-condensation. These catalysts exhibit high efficiencies and strong durability in water-medium organic reactions. Moreover, a bifunctional catalyst containing both Pd(II) and Ru(II) organometals inside pore walls can catalyze the water-medium "one-pot" cascade reaction effectively.