Maxim Varenik

A minimal length rigid helical peptide motif allows rational design of modular surfactants

Extensive work has been invested in the design of bio-inspired peptide emulsifiers. Yet, none of the formulated surfactants were based on the utilization of the robust conformation and self-assembly tendencies presented by the hydrophobins, which exhibited highest surface activity among all known proteins. Here we show that a minimalist design scheme could be employed to fabricate rigid helical peptides to mimic the rigid conformation and the helical amphipathic organization. These designer building blocks, containing natural non-coded α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), form superhelical assemblies as confirmed by crystallography and microscopy. The peptide sequence is amenable to structural modularity and provides the highest stable emulsions reported so far for peptide and protein emulsifiers. Moreover, we establish the ability of short peptides to perform the dual functions of emulsifiers and thickeners, a feature that typically requires synergistic effects of surfactants and polysaccharides. This work provides a different paradigm for the molecular engineering of bioemulsifiers.

Graphite-to-Graphene: Total Conversion.

The rush to develop graphene applications mandates mass production of graphene sheets. However, the currently available complex and expensive production technologies are limiting the graphene commercialization. The addition of a protective diluent to graphite during ball-milling is demonstrated to result in a game-changer yield (>90%) of defect-free graphene, whose size is controlled by the milling energy and the diluent type.

Optimal nanomaterial concentration: harnessing percolation theory to enhance polymer nanocomposite performance

A major challenge in nanocomposite research is to predict the optimal nanomaterial concentration (ONC) yielding a maximal reinforcement in a given property. We present a simple approach to identify the ONC based on our finding that it is typically located in close proximity to an abrupt increase in polymer matrix viscosity, termed the rheological percolation threshold, and thus may be used as an indicator of the ONC. This premise was validated by rheological and fractography studies of composites loaded by nanomaterials including graphene nanoribbons or carbon or tungsten disulfide nanotubes. The correlation between in situ viscosity, the rheological percolation threshold concentration and the nanocomposite fractography demonstrates the utility of the method.

Distinguishing Self-Assembled Pyrene Structures from Exfoliated Graphene

Sonication-assisted graphene production from graphite is a popular lab-scale approach in which ultrasound energy breaks down graphite sheets into graphene flakes in aqueous medium. Dispersants (surfactant molecules) are incorporated into the solution to prevent individual graphene flakes from reaggregating. However, in solution these dispersants self-assemble into various structures, which can interfere with the characterization of the graphene produced. In this study, we characterized graphene dispersions stabilized by a family of pyrene-based surfactants that facilitate a high exfoliation yield. These surfactants self-assembled to form flakes and ribbons-shapes very similar to those of graphene structures. The dispersant structures were present both in the graphene dispersion and in the precipitate after the solvent had been evaporated and could therefore have been mistakenly identified as graphene by electron microscopy techniques and other characterization techniques, such as Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Contrary to previous reports, we showed-by removing the dispersants by filtration and washing-that the surfactants did not affect the shape of the graphene prepared by sonication.

Hierarchical multi-step organization during viral capsid assembly.

Formation of the HIV-1 core by the association of capsid proteins is a critical, not fully understood, step in the viral life cycle. Understanding the early stages of the mechanism may improve treatment opportunities. Here, spectroscopic analysis (opacity) is used to follow the kinetics of capsid protein assembly, which shows three stages: a lag phase, followed by a linear increase stage and terminated by a plateau. Adding pre-incubated capsid proteins at the start of the lag phase shortens it and increases the rate of assembly at the linear stage, demonstrating autoacceleration and cooperative assembly. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy is used to probe structural evolution at these three stages. At the beginning of the lag phase, short tubular assemblies are found alongside micron long tubes. Their elongation continues all throughout the lag phase, at the end of which tubes start to assemble into bundles. Based on these results, we suggest a multi-step self-assembly process including fast nucleation and elongation followed by tubes packing into arrays.

Practical aspects in size and morphology characterization of drug-loaded nano-liposomes

Graphical abstract Figure. No caption available. ABSTRACT Size and morphology distributions are critical to the performance of nano‐drug systems, as they determine drug pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. Therefore, comprehensive and reliable analyses of these properties are required by both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). In this study, we compare two most commonly used approaches for assessing the size distribution and morphology of liposomal nano‐drug systems, namely, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and cryogenic‐transmission electron microscopy (cryo‐TEM); an automated quantitative analysis method was developed for the latter method. We demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of each of these two approaches for a commercial formulation of the anti‐cancer drug doxorubicin ‐ Doxil®, in which the drug is encapsulated, mostly in the form of nano‐rod crystals. With increasing drug concentration, these nano‐rods change the shape of the liposomes from spherical, before drug loading, to prolate (oval), post drug loading. Cryo‐TEM analysis provides a detailed size distribution of both the liposomes (minor and major axes) and the nano‐rod drug. Both these values are relevant to the drug performance. In this study, we show that at elevated drug concentration (2.75 mg/ml) the drug grows mainly along the major axis and that this high concentration can result, in some cases, in liposome rupture. We show that the combination of cryo‐TEM and DLS constitutes a reliable tool for demonstrating the stability of the formulation in human plasma at body temperature, a characteristic that is crucial for achieving therapeutic efficacy.