Wednesday Colloquia

Reversible Chemical Tools Capture Life in Action

by Prof. Ankona Datta (DCS-TIFR)

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at Lecture Theatre ( AG-66 )
TIFR
Description
Tracking the spatiotemporal dynamics of small molecules and ions which regulate key decision-making processes in living systems can provide critical insights into biological pathways in both normal and disease states. In this context, fluorescent chemical sensors that illuminate molecules of life have emerged as powerful tools. However, major challenges related to distinguishing similar molecules and inability to achieve reversible sensing have restricted detection to a chosen few molecules. At TIFR, our group has demonstrated that chemical recognition and secondary non-covalent interactions can be leveraged to distinguish chemically similar yet functionally distinct species. I will highlight our reversible sensors for imaging metal ions [1] and tracking signaling lipids in action and finally show how we can use our chemo-selective strategies to guide therapeutic interventions. [2]

References:

(1) Das, S.; Khatua, K.; Rakshit, A.; Carmona, A.; Sarkar, A.; Bakthavatsalam, S.; Ortega, R.; Datta, A., Dalton Transactions, 2019. 
(2) Rakshit, A.; Khatua, K.; Shanbhag, V.; Comba, P.; Datta, A., Chemical Science, 2018.