个人简介

2011 California HIV/AIDS IDEA Award 2009 NSF CAREER Award 2008 Alzheimer's Association New Investigator Award 2007 American Cancer Society Research Scholar 2006 Wallace H. Coulter Translational Research Partnership Award 2006 Hellman Fellow 2004 UCSD Faculty Career Development Award 2004 Thieme Journal Award, Synthesis and Synlett 2001 Ph.D. with Distinction, Columbia University 2001 Hammett Award for excellence in research, Columbia University 1999-2001 EPA NCERQA STAR graduate fellowship 1999 Bristol-Myers Squibb graduate fellowship 1998 Sylvia and Victor G. Fourman graduate fellowship 1998 Jack Miller Award for excellence in teaching, Columbia University 1995-1996 Outstanding Teaching Award, U.C. Berkeley 1995 B.S. with Honors, U.C. Berkeley

研究领域

Organic Chemistry

Our lab is interested in using organic chemistry as a tool to study problems in biology and materials science. The foundation of our interdisciplinary program lies in organic synthesis that allows for designing structures with tailored chemical function. In addition to synthetic techniques, students will be trained in a broad range of analytical, physical, and biological methods to probe the molecular details of their systems. Brief descriptions of three research areas currently pursued in the group are: Molecular probes to study amyloid-based diseases: We have been exploring potential functional properties of small, synthetic molecules that target aggregated forms of beta-amyloid (Ab) peptides for the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies for Alzheimers disease (AD). A central hypothesis of our research is that aggregated forms of natural, disease-related peptides (e.g., aggregated AD-related Ab peptides) can cause cellular injury and, thus, play an important role in disease progression. We recently introduced the idea of generating molecular assemblies on the surface of aggregated AD-related peptides that could function as protein-resistive surface coatings on these disease-related materials. Current efforts in the group focus on the synthesis of small molecules that can attenuate the toxicity of aggregated forms of the Ab peptides on neurons either through inhibiting protein-amyloid interactions or through other Ab-neutralizing mechanisms. Related work also includes the development of in vivo imaging agents for the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimers and other amyloid-based neurodegenerative diseases. Nanoscale sensors using ion channel-forming peptides: The goal of this research is to use synthetic derivatives of ion channel-forming peptides to detect chemically reactive agents in aqueous solutions. For instance, we recently demonstrated that an ion channel-forming peptide can be used to monitor chemical and biochemical reactions on individual molecules. Detection is based on measurement of a change in the single ion channel conductance upon conversion of chemical groups on molecules attached near the opening of these semi-synthetic nanopores in the presence of chemically reactive analytes. A major focus of this research is to develop simple and reliable methods to derivatize ion channel-forming peptides in order to make these types of sensors available to the broader scientific community. We anticipate that ion channel-based sensors will offer advantages of higher sensitivity and similar specificity for detection of selected environmental or biological analytes compared to other currently available technologies. Nanoparticle-based cancer drug delivery systems: The goal of this research is to develop new biocompatible, polymeric nanoparticles capable of improving the targeting of cancer therapeutics to solid tumors by controlling the location and time over which active drug release occurs. A central component of this research has been the development of a new class of acid-sensitive linkers that are designed to exploit the lower extracellular pH of some tumor cells, as well as the acidic environment of endosomes and lysosomes in cells, to trigger the controlled release of therapeutic agents from drug delivery vessels.

近期论文

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Cao K, Farahi M, Dakanali M, Chang WM, Sigurdson CJ, Theodorakis EA, Yang J, "Aminonaphthalene 2-cyanoacrylate (ANCA) probes fluorescently discriminate between amyloid-β and prion plaques in brain.", J Am Chem Soc, 2012, Vol. 134, Issue 42, 17338-41 [View Abstract] Capule CC, Brown C, Olsen JS, Dewhurst S, Yang J, "Oligovalent amyloid-binding agents reduce SEVI-mediated enhancement of HIV-1 infection.", J Am Chem Soc, 2012, Vol. 134, Issue 2, 905-8 [View Abstract] Capule CC, Yang J, "Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based method to quantify the association of small molecules with aggregated amyloid peptides.", Anal Chem, 2012, Vol. 84, Issue 3, 1786-91 [View Abstract] Prangkio P, Yusko EC, Sept D, Yang J, Mayer M, "Multivariate analyses of amyloid-beta oligomer populations indicate a connection between pore formation and cytotoxicity.", PLoS One, 2012, Vol. 7, Issue 10, e47261 [View Abstract] "Controlling the Translocation of Proteins Through Nanopores with Bioinspired Fluid Walls" E.C. Yusko, J.M. Johnson, S. Majd, P. Prangkio, R.C. Rollings, J. Li, J. Yang, and M. Mayer, Nature Nanotech., (2011), 6, 253-260 Habib LK, Lee MT, Yang J, "Inhibitors of catalase-amyloid interactions protect cells from beta-amyloid-induced oxidative stress and toxicity.", J Biol Chem, 2010, Vol. 285, Issue 50, 38933-43 [View Abstract] Luong A, Issarapanichkit T, Kong SD, Fong R, Yang J, "pH-Sensitive, N-ethoxybenzylimidazole (NEBI) bifunctional crosslinkers enable triggered release of therapeutics from drug delivery carriers.", Org Biomol Chem, 2010, Vol. 8, Issue 22, 5105-9 [View Abstract] Macrae MX, Blake S, Mayer M, Yang J, "Nanoscale ionic diodes with tunable and switchable rectifying behavior.", J Am Chem Soc, 2010, Vol. 132, Issue 6, 1766-7 [View Abstract] Olsen JS, Brown C, Capule CC, Rubinshtein M, Doran TM, Srivastava RK, Feng C, Nilsson BL, Yang J, Dewhurst S, "Amyloid-binding small molecules efficiently block SEVI (semen-derived enhancer of virus infection)- and semen-mediated enhancement of HIV-1 infection.", J Biol Chem, 2010, Vol. 285, Issue 46, 35488-96 [View Abstract] Rubinshtein M, James CR, Young JL, Ma YJ, Kobayashi Y, Gianneschi NC, Yang J, "Facile procedure for generating side chain functionalized poly(alpha-hydroxy acid) copolymers from aldehydes via a versatile Passerini-type condensation.", Org Lett, 2010, Vol. 12, Issue 15, 3560-3 [View Abstract]