Multivalent helix mimetics for PPI-inhibition.

The exploitation of multivalent ligands for the inhibition of protein-protein interactions has not yet been explored as a supramolecular design strategy. This is despite the fact that protein-protein interactions typically occur within the context of multi-protein complexes and frequently exploit avidity effects or co-operative binding interactions to achieve high affinity interactions. In this paper we describe preliminary studies on the use of a multivalent N-alkylated aromatic oligoamide helix mimetic for inhibition of p53/hDM2 and establish that protein dimerisation is promoted, rather than enhanced binding resulting from a higher effective concentration of the ligand. This journal i

Quantum dots decorated with pathogen associated molecular patterns as fluorescent synthetic pathogen models

We attached the pathogen associated molecular pattern Kdo2-Lipid A (the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli (E. coli)) to QDs by hydrophobic interactions to synthetically mimic the surface of E. coli. QD-LPS conjugates bind, are taken up and activate effectively macrophages in vitro and they have potent immunostimulatory activity in vivo