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Welcome to the Jianjun Cheng Research Group.   The primary research focus in the Cheng Group includes therapeutic nanomedicine, polypeptide synthesis & application, and development of hindered urea bond containing materials.

Update:  Cheng Research Group currently has postdoc positions available.  Position details

we report a polypeptide-based macromolecule with spatially organized α-helices that can catalyse its own formation. The system consists of a linear polymeric scaffold containing a high density of initiating groups from which polypeptides are grown, forming a brush polymer. The folding of polypeptide side chains into α-helices dramatically enhances the polymerization rate due to cooperative interactions of macrodipoles between neighbouring α-helices. The parameters that affect the rate are elucidated by a two-stage kinetic model using principles from nucleation-controlled protein polymerizations; the key difference being the irreversible nature of this polymerization.
Cooperative polymerization of α-helices induced by macromolecular architecture, Nature Chem, 2017
Selective In Vivo Metabolic Cell Labeling Mediated Cancer Targeting, 2017
Pamidronate functionalized nanoconjugates for targeted therapy of focal skeletal malignant osteolysis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2016
Helical antimicrobial polypeptides with radial amphiphilicity, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2015
Dynamic urea bond for the design of reversible and self-healing polymers, Nat. Commun. 2014