The Ohio State University is at the forefront of medical research with the development of a new protein-like molecule.
Jonathan Parquette, an assistant chemistry professor, developed the molecules to resemble protein molecules, but with a few differences.
Parquette said the new molecules belong to a group of molecules called dendrimers, with a shape resembling the natural shape of a protein molecule, but with more uses.
“Unlike the highly rigid structure of a protein, the structure of most dendrimers more closely resembles the shape and rigidity of a bowl of spaghetti,” he said.
Although the molecules are biological in nature, Parquette thinks the research can be extended into other fields.
“If we can harness the structural control exhibited by proteins in synthetic, non-natural molecules, it may be possible to expand the function of these ‘protein-like’ materials well beyond that of the biological realm,” he said.
Parquette said the molecules could lead to the creation of better medical treatment.
“We are beginning to construct molecules that ‘recognize’ or bind to oligosaccharides (sugars) present on cell surfaces because cancer cells often display an unique set of sugars on their surface,” he said. “The ability to selectively recognize these cells would provide new methods for targeted drug delivery.”
Baohua Huang, a post-doctorate member of Parquette’s research team, said this type of research has been studied for 10 years, but this is the first big breakthrough.
“This is the first time we’ve achieved macromolecular asymmetry,” he said.
Along with these “smart” molecules, Parquette’s new research is testing to see if the molecules will release drugs upon irritation by light.
“The research is in its infancy, but we hope that it will one day result in new concepts for drug design and delivery,” he said.
BioMEMS, which stands for biomedical microelectromechanical systems, are microscopic medical devices being created around the world.
Parquette collaborated with a group of graduate, undergraduate and post-doctoral students to complete the research.
Noel Paul, a graduate student and member of Parquette’s group, joined the group in 1999 because of the depth of his research.
“I think Dr. Parquette’s ideas span many diverse aspects of chemical science,” he said. “This allows him to ask questions that haven’t been asked before.”
