Array-Based Protein Sensing Using an Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) Light-Up Probe

Protein detection and identification are important for the diagnosis of diseases; however, the development of facile sensing probes still remains challenging. Here, we present an array-based "turn on" protein-sensing platform capable of detecting and identifying proteins using aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens). The water-soluble AIEgens in which fluorescence was initially turned off showed strong fluorescence in the presence of nanomolar concentrations of proteins via restriction of the intramolecular rotation of the AIEgens. The binding affinities between the AIEgens and proteins were associated with various chemical functional groups on AIEgens, resulting in distinct fluorescent-signal outcomes for each protein. The combined fluorescence outputs provided sufficient information to detect and discriminate proteins of interest by linear discriminant analysis. Furthermore, the array-based sensor enabled classification of different concentrations of specific proteins. These results provide novel insight into the use of the AIEgens as a new type of sensing probe in array-based systems

Directions for and prospects of the Environmental Health Study in Korean National Industrial Complexes (EHSNIC): A proposal for the third phase of the EHSNIC

The Environmental Health Study in the Korean National Industrial Complexes (EHSNIC) is a project that aims to monitor the exposure and health effects of environmental pollution among residents of national industrial complexes, as well as propose appropriate environmental health measures. Since its launch in 2003, this project has been initiated in eight national industrial complexes. Currently, it is necessary to review the accomplishments and limitations of the phases 1 and 2 of this project, and establish the direction of the upcoming the phase 3. Thus, the present study has developed principles and goals for the phase 3, considering the rationale and justification of the EHSNIC, and presented specific research contents accordingly. In the phase 3, it is important to improve the methods for exposure assessment and evaluation of health effects, in order to identify clearly the association between the pollutants released from industrial complexes and their health impacts, to develop and to reinforce communication strategies to promote participation of residents of communities near industrial complexes. Nonetheless, it is also important to maintain the basic goal of continuously monitoring the level of exposure to and health effects of environmental pollutants

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Department of Chemistryope

Sequestering ATP and Self-assembly inside Mitochondria by Nucleopeptide inducing Cancer Cell Apoptosis

Mitochondria play important roles in cells such as ATP and other intermediates (metabolites) production for bioenergetics and biosynthesis. Especially, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an important biomacromolecule in cellular processes such as cellular respiration and metabolism. Cancer cells have higher concentration of ATP compared to normal cells. By removing ATP inside cancer cells, it can result in apoptosis. Here, we have developed selective cancer treatment by chemically and physically damage to cancer cells with sequestration of ATP and self-assemblies with ATP using nucleopeptide (NP) inside mitochondria. NP exhibits selective higher binding affinity toward ATP via electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bond compared to ADP or other biomacromolecules. The higher interaction between NP and ATP results in formation of large complex (~300 nm) and assemblies with ATP over ADP although NP-ADP make pre-formation complex. To enhance specificity towards cancer cells, NP-ADP having nanometer-sized micelles accumulates inside cancer cells not normal cells by shielding high positive charges with ADP and form large assembly with ATP instead of ADP. Therefore, sequestration of ATP and large assemblies of NP-ATP inside mitochondria cause severe effects such as the metabolic process of ATP and stress by structures towards cancer cells physically

Mitochondria-Penetrating Peptide (MPP) for Hydrophobic Drug or dye Conjugate (MPDC) for efficient antitumor therapy

Recently, targeting mitochondria is a promising strategy to improve chemotherapy efficiency by reducing side effects. Mitochondria penetrating peptide (MPP) has been worked to offer highly efficient gene or drug delivery. Most MPPs consist of alternative positive charged amino acids such as arginine (R) and lysine (K) and liphophilic amino acids such as phenylalanine (F) or cyclohexylalanine.(Fx). In here, mitochondria targeting peptide can be achieved with hydrophobic drug or dye acted as liphophilic amino acids. These mitochondria targeting peptides which are short and highly positive peptides with anticancer drug, camptothecin (CPT) and IR-780 has been synthesized in which the CPT and IR-780 are conjugated to peptide via thiol functional group of cysteine in peptide. It can self-assemble into nanostructure in water. First, the mitochondria targeting peptide containing IR-780 can be used for NIR imaging and photothermal therapy with laser irradiation and mitochondria targeting drug can be released via disulfide bond based on intracellular GSH concentration. These short peptides conjugated to drug exhibited target specific toxicity with antitumor efficiency also the dye conjugated peptides showed target tumor toxicity with photothermal therapy

Development of Size-convertible Nanoparticles for Deep Tumor Penetration

For several decades, various kinds of drug delivery system (DDS) have been researched for efficient tumor treatment method that can overcome limitation of drug itself, such as low stability, low water-solubility, and nonspecific treatment. Among many candidates of drug carriers, polymeric micelle is frequently studied because of its facile synthesis and tunable size. In our study, PEG-PDS block copolymer with hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments was synthesized to form proper size-convertible micelles. Amphiphilic copolymers are known to self-assemble in solution. Through disulfide intracrosslinking of PDS group, micelles can be locked to form nanogel. Polyethylene glycol monomer can reduce nonspecific interaction of nanoparticles with biomolecules in body fluids, which is stealth effect, and can make larger aggregates above LCST. Size-convertible property is important to avoid body clearance and passively target loose tumor blood vessels by large size, but to penetrate deep into tissue after reaching the target site. We tried to design nanocarriers which are large during blood circulation and small in response to tumoral condition. For that, large aggregates fixed with MMP-degradable peptide ligands will be able to release drug inside through degradation under rich MMP condition, which is overexpressed in tumor tissue. Further studies will be performed to see the behavior of nanoparticles