Abhishek Saha

We describe a novel class of amphiphiles with squaramide moiety as a phosphate bioisostere. Most synthesized squaramide-based amphiphiles have the favorable physicochemical properties of lipids, such as: formation of stable liposomes or giant unilamellar vesicles in aqueous solution, high phase-transition temperature, low vesicle leakage and phosph...

Synthetic anion transporters have been recognized as one of the potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases including cystic fibrosis, myotonia and epilepsy that originate due to the malfunctioning of natural Cl─ ion transport systems. Recent studies showed that the synthetic Cl─ ion transporters can also disrupt cellular ion-homeost...

Protein based nanostructures has reformed the nanoscience and nanotechnology on the account of their smaller sizes and greater surface areas, which instigates their interactions with other molecules. The protein nanoparticles (NPs) have better biocompatibility, biodegradability and also have the easy access for additional surface modifications. The...

Recently synthetic anion transporters have gained considerable attention because of their aptitude to disrupt cellular anion homeostasis and promote cell death. Herein, we report the development of bis(iminourea) derivatives as a new class of selective Cl– ion carrier. The cooperative interactions of H+ and Cl– ions with these iminourea moieties re...

Despite the great advances in discovering cyclic peptides against protein targets, their reduced aqueous solubility, cell permeability, and activity of the cyclic peptide restrict its utilization in advanced biological research and therapeutic applications. Here we report on a novel approach of structural alternation of the exocyclic and linker par...

Uniquely modified synthetic proteins are difficult to produce in large quantities, which could limit their use in various in vitro settings and in cellular studies. In this study, we developed a method named “suspension bead loading” (SBL), to deliver protein molecules into suspended living cells using glass beads, which significantly reduces the a...

Uniquely modified synthetic proteins are difficult to produce in large quantities, which could limit their use in various in vitro settings and in cellular studies. In this study, we developed a method named “suspension bead loading” (SBL), to deliver protein molecules into suspended living cells using glass beads, which significantly reduces the a...

Despite the great advances in discovering cyclic peptides against protein targets, their reduced aqueous solubility, cell permeability, and activity of the cyclic peptide restrict its utilization in advanced biological research and therapeutic applications. Here we report on a novel approach of structural alternation of the exocyclic and linker par...

ConspectusChemical manipulation of naturally occurring peptides offers a convenient route for generating analogs to screen against different therapeutic targets. However, the limited success of the conventional chemical libraries has urged chemical biologists to adopt alternative methods such as phage and mRNA displays and create libraries of a lar...

Modifying cyclic cell‐penetrating deca‐arginine (cR10) peptides with 4‐(4‐dimethylaminophenylazo)benzoic acid (DABCYL) improves the uptake efficiency of synthetic ubiquitin (Ub) cargoes into living cells. To probe the role of the DABCYL moiety, we performed time‐lapse microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of fluorescent DAB...

Developing an effective binder for a specific ubiquitin (Ub) chain is a promising approach for modulating various biological processes with potential applications in drug discovery. Here, we combine the Random Non-standard Peptides Integrated Discovery (RaPID) method and chemical protein synthesis to screen an extended library of macrocyclic peptid...

Synthetic ion transporters have attracted tremendous attention for its therapeutic potentials against various ion transport-related diseases, including cancer. Inspired by the structure and biological activities of natural products, we synthesized a small series of squaramide and thiourea derivatives of quinine and investigated their ion transport...

Small molecule-based Cl─ ion carriers are relishing a revived attention because of their recently discovered role towards the anticancer activity. Herein, we showed that the anticancer agents, PITENINs, have an efficient transmembrane Cl─ ion transport activity. Theoretical calculations, 1H NMR titration, and spectrophotometric analysis suggest tha...

The design of green synthetic reaction conditions is very challenging, especially for biomaterials, but worthwhile if the compounds can be easily synthesized in the aqueous medium. Herein, we report the development of sunlight-mediated thiol–ene/yne click reaction in the presence of a catalytic amount of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) in an aqueou...

The improvement of body’s own immune system is considered one of the safest approaches to fight against cancer and several other diseases. Excessive catabolism of the essential amino acid, L-tryptophan (L-Trp) assists the cancer cells to escape normal immune obliteration. The formation of disproportionate kynurenine and other downstream metabolites...

Stimuli-responsive anion transport strategy was successfully employed to regulate water solubility and promote controlled transport of Cl─ ion across the lipid bilayers. The sulfonium-based proanionophore was efficiently activated by glutathione...