When a scientific journal adds a new associate editor, that change means more for readers than just a tweak to the masthead. New associate editors bring new experiences, new perspectives, and new ideas to their publications. Get to know some of ACS’ latest editors and learn what unique gifts they’ll be bringing to their respective […]
Peng Chen, ACS Chemical Biology
Recently, we spearheaded the development of bioorthogonal cleavage reactions for the gain-of-function study of diverse proteins in living systems, and we are also exploiting the therapeutic potential of such reactions.
I have been attracted to the bioorthogonal chemistry and genetic code expansion field because these chemistry-enabled strategies have revolutionized our ability to probe and perturb biomolecules such as proteins within their native cellular context. This offered us an unprecedented opportunity to dissect native protein functions and biological processes with high specificity and temporal resolution.
Gap-Junction-Dependent Labeling of Nascent Proteins in Multicellular Networks
ACS Chem. Biol., 2019, 14,2, 182-185
DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b01065
This paper reports an enzyme-triggered amino acid deprotection method that allowed selective labeling of nascent proteomes and record translation in adjacent cells connected by gap junctions. This cell contact-dependent protein tagging method offered a powerful tool to study molecular events such as material transfer and signal transductions within a multi-cellular network.
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Xinbin Ma, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
What are the major challenges facing your field today?
We have been working for many years on C1 chemistry and technology and applied catalysis. It is difficult to design green chemical technology that can realize sustainable production of chemicals with no hazardous effect on the environment or on humans. With the fast development of chemistry and material science, a number of novel catalytic technologies and materials have been generated in the lab. The challenge is to further enhance the process efficiency, reduce the complexity, facilitate scaling-up and industrialization.
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Donald Wink, Journal of Chemical Education
Relating Chemistry to Healthcare and MORE: Implementation of MORE in a Survey Organic and Biochemistry Course for Prehealth Students
J. Chem. Educ., 2018, 9, 5, 137-46
DOI: doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00272
