Synthetic ion transporters

ORGN 442

Paul V. Santacroce, psantacr@umd.edu, Jennifer L. Kuebler, TotallyOrganic02@aol.com, and Jeffery T. Davis, jd140@umail.umd.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD 20742
Anion channels display a variety of important physiological and cellular roles including regulation of pH, osmotic pressure, cell migration, cell proliferation and differentiation. We have designed and synthesized transmembrane molecules for the transport of ions across the membrane. The design features self-assembly within the membrane to create channels that can accommodate various size ions. Furthermore, utilizing self-assembly of the channels permits possile templating of specific ions to achieve specificity in transport.