title: "Molecular trinity" for soft nanomaterials: Integrating nucleobases, amino acids, and glycosides to construct multifunctional hydrogelators.
abstract: This highlight introduces the development of hydrogelators consisting of nucleobases, amino acids, and glycosides (i.e., molecular trinity), or nucleobases and amino acids (i.e., nucleopeptides). These novel small molecule hydrogelators self-assemble in water to form stable supramolecular nanofibers/hydrogels and exhibit useful biological properties (e.g., biocompatibility, biostability, and the ability to bind and transport DNA into live cells). The approach discussed here not only provides a new strategy to develop soft biomaterials as a form of nanomedicines, but also contributes to the understanding of molecular self-assembly in water by modulating the non-covalent interactions derived from the three basic building blocks used in living organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454 USA, Tel: 781-736-5201.
authors.forename: Xinming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454 USA, Tel: 781-736-5201.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454 USA, Tel: 781-736-5201.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu