Organic crystallochemistry. Synthesis and properties of the peptide dendrimers. [XII]
Prof.dr hab. Zofia Urbańczyk-Lipkowska
Ph.D., 1975 Institute of OrganicChemistry PAS.
Habilitation, 1996 Technical University of Lodz.
Full Professor, 2008.
Reasearch Associate, 1984-1986 University of Minnesota, USA
Visiting Scientist, 1989-1990 Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, USA
de Chevalier Mérite de l’Invention, 2007 Bruksel
WWW: http://ww2.icho.edu.pl/ZXII »
Marta Sowińska, M.Sc., Paulina Zielińska, M.Sc.
Basic research area of the group involves chemistry of biologically active peptide dendrimers and crystallographic and spectroscopic studies of organic molecules in solid state, in relation to their chemical, physical and biological properties.
Current research:Dendrimer chemistry - development of synthetic methods and studies of their properties
This project aims in synthesis (solution and solid state methodology) of new peptide dendrimers that simulate 3D structures of natural macromolecules, and studies of mechanism of their interactions with normal and pathogenic cells. Group XII is involved in development of new building blocks and methodology of dendrimer synthesis as well as in structural studies of these molecules.
For complementary biological and biochemical studies permanent cooperation was established with several leading groups in Poland and abroad.
Antimicrobial and/or antiproliferative studies are performed in cooperation with Industrial Chemistry Research Institute (dr J. Janiszewska), National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene (dr J. Solecka, microbiology), and Mossakowski Medical Research Institute (prof. A.W. Lipkowski, human melanoma cell lines).
Molecular processes taking place at water/membrane interface are one of key issues in understanding of biological activity of dendrimers. These processes are studied in cooperation with the group from Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen (Assoc. prof. M. M. Cárdenas Gómez,). Several state of the art surface sensitive techniques are applied to study interactions of dendrimers immobilized on supported biomembranes. These techniques include quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and neutron reflection (NR) methods.
Solid phase structural studies of branched molecules, photochromic compounds and chiral coordination polymers
Synthesis of new compounds that express solid state thermo- and photochromism and investigation of molecular background of this process is one key problems studied by the group of prof. Koichi Tanaka (University of Kansai, Suita-Osaka, Japan). Group XII is involved in crystallographic and spectroscopic studies of these compounds. Second group of compounds of interest constitute coordination polymers – porous substances designed for resolution of mixtures or application as organic catalysts. This group includes synthesized in our lab branched derivatives of amino acids. Group XII is equipped with Bruker, X8 APEXII modern X-ray diffractometer, with possibility to study organic and organometallic compounds in 100-350 oK temperature range. We offer high quality X-ray structural investigation of monocrystalline materials along with observation and registration of various solid phase processes under Nicon polarized microscope.
Selected scientific papers:
1. Urbanczyk-Lipkowska, Z.; Kalicki, P.; Gawinkowski, S.; Waluk, J.; Yokoyama, M.; Tanaka, K. CrystEngComm., 2011, 13, 3170, “Bis(1,3-dioxo-2-indenylidene)cyclohexane: polymorphism, gas phase oxidation and enol form mediated radical formation in the solid state”.
2. Polcyn, P.; Jurczak, M.; Rajnisz, A.; Solecka, J.; Urbanczyk-Lipkowska, Z. Molecules, 2009, 14, 3881, “Design of antimicrobially active small amphiphilic peptide dendrimers”.
3. Tanaka, K.; Itoh, H.; Nakashima, A.; Wojcik, D.; Urbanczyk-Lipkowska, Z. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 2009, 82, 489, “Photochromic inclusion crystals of phosphonium halides with aromatic alcohols”.
4. Niedzialek, D.; Urbanczyk-Lipkowska, Z. CrystEngComm., 2007, 9, 735, “New crystalline form of 7-amino-4-methyl-coumarin (coumarin 120) - a polymorph with 1 : 1 valence tautomers”.
5. Janiszewska, J.; Urbanczyk-Lipkowska, Z. J. Mol. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 2007,13, 220, “Amphiphilicdendrimeric peptides as model non-sequential pharmacophores with antimicrobial properties”.
6. Klajnert, B.; Janiszewska, J.; Urbanczyk-Lipkowska, Z.; Bryszewska, M.; Shcharbin, D.; Labieniec, M. J. Int. J. Pharm., 2006, 309, 208. “Biological properties of low molecular mass peptide dendrimers”.