The National Science Foundation recently announced UConn faculty member Jessica Rouge as the recipient of a CAREER grant. The funding, which comes from the NSF’s Macromolecular Supramolecular and Nanochemistry program, will enable the Rouge group to develop novel chemical crosslinking strategies that can be incorporated into DNA nanomaterials. Using a new DNA-surfactant assembly strategy that generates DNA nanoshells compatible with cells and enzymes, the major goal of the grant is to synthesize a combination of peptide and synthetic crosslinkages that can control the nanomaterials assembly and disassembly in complex biological environments. These materials will be specifically designed to have selectivity for certain chemical stimuli that can initiate chemical and/or biochemical reactions. Such strategies are important for developing more sensitive biological sensors and more accurate drug delivery systems.

To learn more about the grant, click here.