News


Open postdoctoral positions in the OPUS project

We are looking for 2 postdoctoral researchers for a groundbreaking research project on the border of organic, medicinal, and supramolecular chemistry.

The aim of the project is to develop small organic molecules capable of selectively transporting biologically relevant anions through lipid bilayers. Such molecules may exhibit interesting anti-cancer, antibacterial and antiviral properties, and may also find applications in the treatment of numerous diseases resulting from the dysfunction of natural transporters. Within the project, we would also like to construct stimuli-responsive transporters whose activity could be controlled by pH, light, or redox potential.

Successful candidates will design and synthesize novel anion receptors, study their anion binding properties and investigate their ability to transport anions through the lipid bilayers of model liposomes.

We offer:

  • a full-time employment contract for 12 months with a possible extension. Expected starting date: August 2022 (subject to negotiations)
  • state-of-the-art facilities in the new building of the Biological and Chemical Research Centre (more information and photographs at www.mchmielewski.pl)
  • a 6-7 person project team consisting of the PI (Dr. Michał Chmielewski), 2 post-docs, 2 doctoral students, and 1-2 graduate students
  • attractive salary (PLN 10 000 gross-gross/month)

Deadline for applications: 16 July 2022. More details in the following Announcement.

We discovered a pH-switchable chloride transporter with physiologically relevant apparent pKa

Chloride transporters have been intensely investigated because of their potential medicinal applications. In particular, pH-switchable transporters are highly appealing as potential anticancer agents, because they might be more active in cancer cells than in normal cells. Owing to its increased acidity, our simple 3,6-dinitro substituted carbazole receptor acts as a pH-switchable transporter, with physiologically relevant apparent pKa of 6.4. Read more in our newest paper in special issue of Frontiers in Chemistry, devoted to anion transport:

Maslowska-Jarzyna, M. L. Korczak, M. J. Chmielewski, “Boosting Anion Transport Activity of Diamidocarbazoles by Electron Withdrawing Substituents” Front. Chem., 2021, 9:690035.

NCN fellowships for students are available! (In organic/materials chemistry)

We invite students interested in collaboration on a ground-breaking research project on the border of organic and material chemistry. Attractive fellowships are available!

Poszukujemy studentów do współpracy przy realizacji przełomowego projektu badawczego z pogranicza chemii organicznej i materiałowej. Atrakcyjne stypendia czekają!

Celem projektu jest stworzenie zupełnie nowej klasy ‘inteligentnych’ materiałów porowatych, łączących trwałość MOF-ów ze zdolnością do odpowiedzi na bodźce i adaptacji do środowiska zewnętrznego. W ramach projektu zamierzamy też opracować nową strategię konstruowania MOF-ów przewodzących prąd elektryczny do zastosowań w bateriach i superkondensatorach.

Oferujemy:

  • możliwość udziału w potencjalnie przełomowych badaniach prowadzonych we współpracy z wiodącymi ośrodkami naukowymi
  • pracę w nowoczesnych i znakomicie wyposażonych laboratoriach zlokalizowanych w nowym budynku Centrum Nauk Biologiczno-Chemicznych UW
  • szansę na publikacje w prestiżowych czasopismach
  • możliwość przygotowania pracy dyplomowej związanej z tematyką grantu
  • pracę w zespole projektowym złożonym z kierownika projektu (MCh), 1 post-doca z wieloletnim doświadczeniem w tematyce grantu, 2 doktorantów i studentów
  • stypendia NCN w wysokości 1500 zł netto/mc na 10 miesięcy

Termin nadsyłania zgłoszeń – 10.12.2021. Więcej szczegółów tu: Ogłoszenie.

Our first joint paper with prof. Mircea Dincă from MIT has just been published in ACIE

Electrically conductive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a fascinating class of porous conductors with many potential applications, such as chemiresistive sensing, electrochemical energy storage, and electrocatalysis. Owing to the Bekker fellowship from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), Dr. Michał Chmielewski spent 7 months in the laboratory of one of the pioneers and leaders of the development of these materials, prof. Mircea Dincă from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The first results of this collaboration have just appeared in Angewandte Chemie International Edition:

Expanding the scope of anion transport studies

Drugs, metabolites, and other biologically relevant anionic species can be rapidly transported through biological membranes by a simple di(thioamide) receptor developed in our laboratory. In collaboration with the group of professor Alexander Kros from Leiden University, we have also shown that the transport kinetics of these anions can be easily quantified in both large and giant unilamellar vesicles (LUVs and GUVs).

Graphical abstract: Oxyanion transport across lipid bilayers: direct measurements in large and giant unilamellar vesicles

A new method for simple immobilisation of transition metal catalysts in MOFs

Simple acid−base reaction between commercially available amino-tagged Ru olefin metathesis catalyst and highly acidic, easily available, and extremely stable MOF, (Cr)MIL-101-SO3H, has been successfully employed for a very robust immobilization of the catalyst even in polar, “green” solvents. Using this catalyst, essentially ruthenium free (<10 ppm) olefin metathesis products can be obtained upon simple filtration. What is more, the immobilized catalyst shows higher activity in comparison to the unsupported catalyst. For details, see our contribution to a special issue of Organometallics dedicated to organometallic chemistry within Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs):

Figure 1

 

Prestigious post-doctoral fellowships are available

We are looking for outstanding candidates for joint applications for prestigious Ulam fellowship for post-doctoral researchers who want to work in Poland.
The deadline for applications is: 15th April 2020. The fellowships can last from 6 to 24 months and cover both the Beneficiary’s allowance costs (approx. 2400 EUR net per month + additional money for spouse and children) and mobility allowance.
The candidates should be first or corresponding authors of at least 3 scientific papers published after 2015. See link below for details:

New grant from NSC for Supramolecular Chemistry Laboratory

Most anions are too hydrophilic to spontaneously migrate through lipid bilayers. At the same time, however, their transport is necessary for life. For example, cellular respiration – a complex biochemical process through which every living cell produces energy – involves the facilitated transport of chloride, bicarbonate as well as various carboxylates and phosphates across lipid bilayers. In cells, this is usually accomplished by specialised proteins, and hence their dysfunction can cause serious diseases. Accordingly, the development of artificial anion transporters (anionophores) is currently a “hot topic” in supramolecular chemistry.

Anion transport through lipid bilayers

Fig. 1. Anion transport through lipid bilayers of synthetic liposomes facilitated by synthetic transporters

Surprisingly however, most of the previous studies in this field were focused on chloride transporters, even though in Nature the transport of other anions also plays a significant role. This is most probably due to the lack of direct and convenient methods to follow the transport of other anions. Our new project aims to develop new, direct methods of measuring anion transport for a broad range of biologically important anions and to use these methods to develop selective artificial anion transporters. One particularly ambitious goal of this project is to develop enantioselective anion transporters, an achievement which has no precedents in literature thus far.

Small molecules able to selectively transport biologically relevant anions, such as basic forms of amino acids, nucleotides, metabolites or drugs, may have interesting biological activity and may find applications in medicine, sensor technology and separation of mixtures, including the mixtures of enantiomers.

Currently, we are looking for prospective MSc and PhD students as well as postdoctoral researchers willing to join the project. We offer state-of-the-art research facilities and attractive fellowships! For more details, contact me via e-mail: mchmielewski@chem.uw.edu.pl or follow the News section on the main page.

PhD and MSc positions available!

PhD and MSc positions are available within ‘OPUS’ grant from the Polish National Science Centre. The aim of the project is to create a revolutionary new class of ‘intelligent’ MOFs, able to adapt to their environment in response to external physical or chemical stimuli (see the scheme below).

Dynamofs

We offer:

  • an opportunity to participate in a ground breaking and interdisciplinary research project run in collaboration with leading MOF laboratories (MIT, Augsburg University),
  • good chance for prestigious publications in leading scientific journals,
  • state-of-the-art research facilities: Supramolecular Chemistry Laboratory is located in a new, modern building of Biological and Chemical Research Centre. For pictures see: Gallery,
  • supportive 6-membered team composed of PI (MCh), 1 postdoctoral researcher with many years of experience in the field, 2 PhD students and 2 MSc students,
  • generous fellowships

More details will be sent to interested candidates after receiving their CVs. Inquiries and CVs should be sent to: mchmielewski@chem.uw.edu.pl