Seminar

Synthetic Tools at the interface with Chemical and Cell Biology

Prof. José Luis Marcareñas

The ability to synthesize molecules is at the heart of the progress in many branches of science. Therefore there is a continuum need of devising practical and efficient synthetic methods that allow to construct relevant products from readily available starting materials in a sustainable and reliable manner. In this context, one of our research lines is focused to the development of new metal catalyzed processes, particularly annulation reactions, in order to build bio-relevant cyclic skeletons.We also want to use our ability as molecular makers to build designed molecules that can lead to new type of biomolecular recognition processes. In particular we have devised several types of molecules capable of interacting with designed dsDNA sequences. Some of the derivatives have also been equipped with responsive units that allow for an external control of the activity. We have also developed variations that not only bind the designed targets but also are capable of emitting a signal upon that interaction, therefore working as selective biosensors. Recent work also deals with the development of artificial catalytic processes in living environments.