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2,5-diketopiperazines (2,5-DKPs) are secondary metabolites found in many natural products (NPs). They have attracted much attention because of the diversity of their pharmacological properties, ranging from antibacterial to immunosuppressive activities. However, the bioavailability of DKPs in NPs is
Probing the diversity of Astrophysically relevant Carbon and HYdrogen NanOparticles – PACHYNO
In order to explain specific infrared (IR) emission bands observed in the interstellar medium (ISM), and often referred to as the aromatic infrared bands (AIBs), the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was suggested about 30 years ago. The AIB carriers are also suspected to strongly
Zinc homeostasis during brain cortico-genesis – ImaZinc
Zinc (Zn) is a vital element controlling a wide diversity of biological processes. It is, after iron, the most abundant trace metal of the human body. For instance, the brain is a zinc-rich organ. This metal is mainly bound to proteins where it plays structural and catalytic roles. However, some zin
One dimensional spin-quantum transport in molecular wires – MQwires
Current industrially exploited technologies for the fabrication of nanoscale devices and further improvements of new kind of consumer electronics are based on the down-scaling of conventional semi-conductor technology. The inclusion of organic materials is so far limited to the optimization of mater
The ultimate challenge of molecular sensing is the detection of ultralow concentrations of a specific analyte in a complex mixture using fast, simple and easy to handle analytical tools. The main objective of the present project is to develop a new generic analytical technology able to reach ultra-l
Myocardial infarction is one of the most deadly cardiovascular diseases in the world and in France, and is considered as one of the major pathologies of the 21st century. It occurs when the heart is no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen by the blood, causing the death of the damaged cells. Ven
Many bacteria on earth are obligate anaerobes that do not grow because of their extreme sensitivity to oxygen (EOS) and of specific requirement for culture. Despite their crucial roles and their strong functional potential, these bacteria are not yet well exploited source in the areas of food, well-
Control of Carbon-Carbon Bond Cleavage by Radical SAM Enzymes – CARBONARA
Des enzymes utilisent la chimie radicalaire pour la coupure de liaisons C-C spécifiques de leur substrat contrôlant ainsi l’identité du produit formé. Les enzymes à radical S-adénosyl-L-méthionine (SAM) utilisent la chimie radicalaire pour catalyser des réactions difficilement réalisables par la ch
We have recently developed a novel concept based on combining the structures of the two most efficient enzymes in oxidation by assembling two iron atoms (as in sMMO) within macrocycling ligands (as in P450 cytochromes). This concept was validated by our discovery of remarkable catalytic properties o
Spectroscopy of isolated and microsolvated ion pairs – IONPAIRS
The ion pairs resulting from the association of a cation and an anion are ubiquitous in solution, but remain supramolecular objects difficult to study due to the diversity of the possible structures and their frequent transient nature. To study the structure and properties of the isolated objects, t
One of the most important scientific and industrial challenges in polymer chemistry is the synthesis of materials with well-defined composition and macromolecular architectures, which are in principle accessible by living polymerization methods. The recent development of controlled radical polymeriz
Spatially encoded NMR spectroscopy of organic reactions – SENSOR
Monitoring strategies are essential to characterise, understand and eventually control chemical reactions. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is an unrivalled tool for the structural analysis of small organic molecules, which is also applicable to in situ, real-time monitoring. Multidimen
Understanding and Controlling the Molybdenum Cofactor Reactivity in Enzymes and Maquette Proteins – MOLYERE
Molybdenum and tungsten enzymes are present in most living organisms where they catalyze a wide diversity of reactions. They play essential roles in many metabolic processes of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and have strong implications in major biogeochemical cycles and in the fields of environment, bioe
In response to different stimuli (infectious, inflammation), cells are activated, resulting in cell membrane remodeling and the release of microvesicles (MV). In biological fluids, these MVs, exposing phosphatidylserine on their surface, are considered as biomarkers of cell activation studied in man
On the quest of a biological compass: magnetic field effects on the cryptochrome protein – BIOMAGNET
Certain migratory animals orient during their long-distance migrations by perceiving the terrestrial magnetic field. The exact molecular origin of such sense is still unknown. Recently, the cryptochrome protein has been proposed as responsible of such "biological compass". The photochemical mechanis
The ECO-PLAN project aims at developing an eco-efficient process for the synthesis of bio sourced surfactants having applications in the domains of detergent, personal care or pharmaceutics. To reach this goal, the competences of three partners (two research laboratories and one company) will contri
In the present context of sustainable growth, the chemical industry is facing the daunting challenge to rethink most of its well-proven synthetic processes to develop environmentally friendly new ones. Yet, nature has figured out an elegant manner to perform organic synthesis under mild condition in
The OrgaSup project deals with the control of the reactivity merging the enantioselective organocatalysis and the superacidic activation. It targets the selective elaboration of new medium-sized heterocycles in the non-racemic series, otherwise difficult to access. Our strategy is based on the « tem
Les méthodes d’imagerie en biologie basées sur des nanostructures polymériques (NP) ont de nombreux avantages par rapport aux méthodes classiques en termes de sensibilité, stabilité de signal et facilité dans leur fonctionnalisation pour le ciblage. De plus, les systèmes à base de NP utilisés comme
Magnetic Properties of Graphene Functionalized with 2D Molecular Assemblies – MAGMA
Over the last decade, carbon nanotubes and graphene have been widely used to fabricate standard field-effect transistors (FET) and sensors. More recently, these materials have been considered for spintronic applications. Graphene, like carbon nanotubes, exhibits high electron mobility and weak spin-
Synthesis and Sequencing of Information-Containing Macromolecules – 00111001
The aim of the project 00111001 is to prepare synthetic information-containing macromolecules. Polymers containing sequence-coded information exist in Nature (e.g. DNA) but not in manmade materials. In the present project, digital information will be ‘written’ in synthetic polymers using two monomer
Infections by pathogenic microorganisms are of great concern in many fields, particularly in medical devices, hospital surfaces/furniture, and surgery equipments. Approximately 64% of hospital-acquired infections worldwide are due to the attachment and the proliferation of bacteria to medical implan
The miniaturization of electronic components is a major challenge. In computer sciences, it is expected by 2019 that Moore’s law will not be able to be respected with classical “top-down” strategies for miniaturization (photolithography…). New approaches and new techniques need to be developed. For
Residue Analyses from the Heating of processed Interstellar Ice Analogues: understanding the formation of Solar System Organic Matter – RAHIIA_SSOM
Comets and asteroids contain organic material formed very early in the Solar System history. The organic matter found in interplanetary objects may be related to interstellar icy grains present before the Solar System formation or during its formation, in the so-called proto-planetary disk. Organic
Interatomic Coulombic Decay in nanodroplets : towards a novel spectroscopy – ICDSpec
Rare-gas nanodroplets (1000-20000 atoms) provide an unique environment for trapping and cooling molecular species and thus open new possibilities for the study of physical and chemical phenomena and of exotic chemical species. Furthermore, nanodroplets can be employed to grow atomic and molecular cl
Molecular origin and modulation of the color in firefly bioluminescence – BIOLUM
Vision and other light-based signaling processes are ubiquitous in Nature. Among all the molecular mechanisms responsible for light emission (eg fluorescence, phosphorescence …), chemiluminescence and its corresponding process in living organisms, bioluminescence, are interesting because of their mo
Photoinduced electron transfer in mechanically-interlocked molecules for super-resolution imaging and charge transport – PETIMIT
This interdisciplinary project aims to combine the unique properties of mechanically-interlocked molecules (ring-on-thread “rotaxane” structures) with fast photoinduced processes to produce new function on the molecular scale. Harnessing photoinduced electron transfer (PET), a primary process in pho
Capillary supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for the analysis of biomolecules – Cap-SFC-MS
Taking into account growing public concerns on environmental questions, analytical studies and the consequent use of toxic solvents have increased to such a level that it becomes untenable to continue without changing towards environmentally friendly methods. Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC)