Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the UM College of Arts & Sciences Adam Braunschweig creates structures intended to mimic the cell surface, building minute machines atom by atom.
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His pioneering and painstaking work has been recognized by the Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry, which awarded him the 2015 Award for Early Excellence in Physical Organic Chemistry.
Braunschweig builds his surfaces piece by piece, using organic reactions and applying selective amounts of force or light to bring molecules together.
Due to the laws of microscopic reversibility – which state that anything possible in forward is also possible in reverse – Braunschweig said, “If you can pull it apart, you should be able to push it together.”
Potential applications of Braunschweig’s research include creating a surface for gene chips that allow researchers to measure large numbers of genes simultaneously, detecting new markers of disease in cancer patients, and integrated implants that can improve upon current medical devices.
Braunschweig will receive the award and present a lecture at the Gordon Research Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry in New Hampshire in June, and will speak at the 15th European Symposium on Organic Reactivity in Kiel, Germany, in August.
March 11, 2015
