Jayawickramarajah Group
Research in theJayawickramarajah group involves a highly interdisciplinary effort to develop bio-inspired functional molecules capable of undergoing specific molecular recognition events.
A main thrust of our research is to study water compatible, self-assembling, synthetically functionalized oligomers that address contemporary problems. We are currently interested in three research areas.
- Development of non-natural DNA for environmental waste remediation purposes.
- Engineering water compatible light harvesting architectures as artificial photosynthetic platforms
- Development of aptamer technology as "smart" drugs for therapeutics.
In addition to the application-driven nature of our work we are interested in designing model systems that will enhance our understanding of the basic principles governing molecular recognition in water.
As a result of our prepare-and-analyze philosophy, students in the laboratory will be versed in synthetic organic chemistry and chemical biology, as well as being proficient in a whole host of spectroscopic and analytical techiques.
Group News
June 2009
- A joint review article, with the Sessler Group, on base-pair mediated non-convalent polymers is published in Chemical Society Reviews.
June 2009
- Groups work on Self-Assembled Fullerene-Porphyrin Nanotubes is published in Chemical Communications.
June 2009
- Maher Receives a Travel Award from the Organic Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society to Present at the 238th ACS National Conference in Washington DC.
May 2009
- Undergraduate Researchers Anne Kane (Anthropology Major and Chem Minor) and Benjamin Sacs (Cell and Molecular Biology Major) Graduate from Tulane
May 2009
- Matthew Griffin and Anne Kane win Chemistry Department Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
February 2009
- Group’s work on the Protein Recognition of a Functionalized Hemin Binding Aptamer is published in Supramolecular Chemistry.
October 2008
- JJ appointed as a Contributing Member of the Tulane Cancer Center
- Group’s work on responsive and regulable protein binders is published in JACS
September 2008
- JJ appointed as a Fellow of the Newcomb College Institute
August 2008
- Dr. Robert Mishur, National Institutes of Health Post-Doctoral Research Training Awardee, joins group to work at the interface of chemistry and lung biology
June 2008:
- David Harrie receives the Arlo Harris Scholarship Award (2007-2008).
- John-Tae Lee, LS-LAMP Participant joins the group for summer research.
April 2008:
- Maher wins a CCR travel award to attend a Leadership Skills Workshop for Graduate Students and Postdocs at the 29th Annual Meeting of the Council for Chemical Research
February 2008
- Tulane Chemistry Department acquires state of the art Olis RSM 1000 Circular Dichroism Spectropolarimeter
January 2008
- Graduate Student Xiaoye Su, China Scholarship Council Fellow joins the group.
- Tulane Chemistry Department acquires Olis HP 8452 Diode Array with Temperature Controller
November 2007
- Professor JJ receives Tulane Research Enhancement Award.
August 2007
- Graduate Students Nan Zhang and Xiaozhu Chu joins group
- Graduate Student David Harris awarded Board of Regents Fellowship
- Graduate Student Maher Fathalla Anwer Fathalla, Eqyptian Government Fellow, joins group.
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