Applications of bis-amino acid oligomers

The ability to precisely position functionality in three-dimensional space is a long term goal for our group. Some progress has been made so far. Using oligomers of our bis-amino acids, we are able to control the distance between two groups, ranging from 2-4nm. Also we are able to control shape and curvature by incorporating monomers that make bends or kinks. There are many potential applications. Some of the most powerful are described in the following pages. We have made a bivalent ligand for Cholera Toxin varying the number of monomers and found that all bivalent molecules that bind more tightly than the natural ligand GM1. The oligomeric scaffold is rigid and the linker contains about 5 rotatable bonds. We have made bivalent vancomycins and bivalent D-Ala-D-Ala, each consisting of linkers of between 1-6 building blocks. These molecules should be capable of associating into matched or mismatched bivalent pairs. In addition, we have made large macrocycles capable of forming a binding pocket. Ligands for these receptors will be identified using phage display. Also, our rigid chiral scaffolds have been studied to determine the influence of chirality on the efficiency of electron transfer. Finally, a scaffold detergent was synthesized, with the application of solubilization of membrane proteins in mind. These are all promising applications of our unique technology and will be explored further in the future.