A Macromolecule Reversing Antibiotic Resistance Phenotype and Repurposing Drugs as Potent Antibiotics.

In order to mitigate antibiotic resistance, a new strategy to increase antibiotic potency and reverse drug resistance is needed. Herein, the translocation mechanism of an antimicrobial guanidinium-functionalized polycarbonate is leveraged in combination with traditional antibiotics to afford a potent treatment for drug-resistant bacteria. Particularly, this polymer-antibiotic combination approach reverses rifampicin resistance phenotype in demonstrating a 2.

Polymerizing Base Sensitive Cyclic Carbonates Using Acid Catalysis.

Organic acids were explored as a means to expand the library of cyclic carbonate monomers capable of undergoing controlled ring-opening polymerization. Various nitrogenous bases have proven incredibly adept at polymerizing cyclic carbonates; however, their use has largely precluded monomers with an acidic proton. Molecular modeling of acid catalysis provided new mechanistic insight, wherein a bifunctional activation pathway was calculated.

A quantitative observation and imaging of single tumor cell migration and deformation using a multi-gap microfluidic device representing the blood vessel.

A microfluidic device was developed for quantifying the migratory and deformability capabilities of a single tumor cell using direct imaging. It was fabricated using photolithography and is made of polydimethysiloxane. Chemotaxis approach was used for directing cell movement, using 10 microm microgaps to restrict the migration to a single cell.

An ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical nucleic acid biosensor.

A simple and ultrasensitive procedure for non-labeling detection of nucleic acids is described in this study. It is based on the photoelectrochemical detection of target nucleic acids by forming a nucleic acid/photoreporter adduct layer on an ITO electrode. The target nucleic acids were hybridized with immobilized oligonucleotide capture probes on the ITO electrode.