Prof. Hagan Bayley University of Oxford   Hagan Bayley is the Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Oxford. His research lies at the interface between chemistry and biology. Using protein chemistry, organic chemistry, and biophysics, his lab explores the folding, assembly, and function of transmembrane channels and pores. Stemming from these findings, his lab also develops engineered protein nanopores for applications in biotechnology including stochastic sensing, ultrarapid biopolymer sequencing and single-molecule covalent chemistry. More recently, the Bayley lab…

Prof. Maria Jesus Vicent Polymer Therapeutics Lab, Prince Felipe Research Center (CIPF) Valencia, Spain Abstract Breast cancer, the most prevalent tumor in women worldwide1, still lacks effective treatment approaches that increase survival rates and reduce side effects. The implementation of polypeptide-based polymer-drug conjugation strategies represents a promising approach2. The physico-chemical parameters of a polypeptide-conjugate, and hence its biological performance, are defined by an intricate interplay of multiple structural factors. This highlights the need for detailed structure-activity relationship studies to develop…

Jean-François LUTZ Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7006, France.   Abstract It has been shown in recent years that information can be stored at the molecular level in synthetic polymers . To achieve such a property, different comonomers are used as a molecular alphabet and assembled together into a defined information sequence. For instance, an alphabet based on two different monomers allows writing of binary information in a linear polymer chain . But, of…

Prof. Bettina Lotscht Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and University of Munich (LMU) Abstract Utilization and storage of intermittent energy resources such as wind or solar power is a cornerstone of a renewable energy infrastructure. To meet this challenge, new material concepts are vital. Using the light and dark reactions of natural photosynthesis as a blueprint, we have identified a new generation of “light storing” molecular materials that can both convert and store solar energy via trapping of…

Prof Jonathan Clayden School of Chemistry – University of Bristol   Abstract Biology presents many challenges for the chemist to tackle, and 20th century synthetic chemistry made great advances in building the molecular structures of nature. A new target for synthesis is the mimicry of biological molecular function – for example the ability to manipulate and communicate information using complex molecular interactions and induced conformational changes, or to induce reactivity through fine control of molecular orientation. This lecture will describe…