Speaker
Prof. Helma Wennemers (Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland)
Topic
Controlling Supramolecular Assemblies with Peptidic Scaffolds
Series
Date and time
12 September 2019, 10 a.m.
Place
IOCB Prague, Lecture Hall (Building A, 2nd floor, A2.01)
Abstract
Self-assembly and selective recognition events involving proteins are critical in nature for the function of numerous different processes, for example, catalysis, signal transduction or the controlled formation of structural components such as bones. My group is intrigued by the question whether also peptides with significantly lower molecular weights compared to proteins can fulfill functions for which nature evolved large macromolecules. Specifically, we ask whether peptides can serve as effective asymmetric catalysts, templates for the controlled formation of metal nanoparticles, hierarchical supramolecular assemblies, synthetic collagen-based materials, or tumor-targeting vectors.