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My lab’s next paper is out in JACS! Our electrode-orthogonal self-assembled layers can "self-heal" after degradation -- the key is a dynamic linkage we can molecularly tune! Hats off to Nico! pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Developing molecules that selectively bind targets of interest remains a critical bottleneck in biological research and biotechnology. Here, we present a workflow that leverages the Phage-Assisted Non-Continuous Selection for Binders (PANCS-Binders) technology for rapid de novo binder discovery. To directly assess the speed and utility of the approach, we pursued three cancer-related targets: NSD3, NMNAT2, and CSF1R. Within 26 days, the PANCS-Binders workflow yielded sequence- and function-verified binders for all three targets with nano-to-micromolar affinities. By incorporating an NSD3 binder into an engineered E3 ligase, RNF8, we developed an NSD3 degrader that potently depleted endogenous NSD3 and inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation. We then applied this degrader to reveal previously unknown NSD3 dependencies in ovarian cancer cell lines, uncovering new therapeutic vulnerabilities. Together, our work establishes a robust workflow for accelerated binder discovery and demonstrates how binders can expedite chemical biology discovery and biotechnology development.

Join us for upcoming info sessions to learn more about our PhD program in Chemistry at the University of Chicago! Details below. We are super excited about our vibrant research community, and you could be a part of it! Applications are also now open! chemistry.uchicago.edu/graduate-pro...

My lab's next paper is out in Angewandte Chemie! Disorder activates graphitic carbon for echem rxns—but can we distinguish it in situ? Varying disorder shows different electric-field IR responses! w/ Ry, Ben & calculations from Arpan in Galli Group onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

My lab's next paper is out in JACS! We molecularly define a catalyst and its microenvironment in a 1 step via non-covalent self-assembly! The result? A 3-unit pKa shift unlocking reaction intermediates inaccessible in bulk! Congrats Greg, alum Deepak, and Ashok! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

My lab's next paper is out in ACS Electrochemistry -- our first in this awesome journal! Ag electrodes catalyze reductive C(sp3)-X activation when X = I, Br, Cl. Ye Ji, joined by Ching and Eva, show that we can also activate C(sp3)-F -- super cool! Congrats! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...