CalixDNA project team has had today, scheduled at 11:00 sharp, its second online meeting, with participation of B. Colasson, I. Piantanida, O. Reinaud, and A. Višnjevac (in alphabetical order). Students Ivona Krošl (PhD) and Ena Otković (MS) joined the meeting briefly. Exciting results obtained by experiments of DNA/RNA recognition and binding of our supramolecular biomimetic binders (SBBs), during the first month were extensively discussed. The results were presented by I. Piantanida, and discussion followed. MS student Ena Otković is successfully performing these experiments in frame of her MS thesis, under the supervision of I. Piantanida and direct mentorship of Ivona Krošl. The issue of the timely procurement of calixarene ligands (SBBs) for further recognition/binding studies, as well as for crystallization experiments, was approached. In order to secure the timely delivery of necessary compounds (SBBs), I. Piantanida proposed an establishment of a new collaboration of the project team with the team of synthetic chemists at the Ruđer Bošković Institute with a relevant experience in calixarene synthesis, which was unanimously accepted. The time bridge shall be hence created until the project team is officially joined by a PhD student who will be in charge of the SBB syntheses and shall presumably join the team by the end of 2021. Main focus in this phase, as envisaged by the work plan, will continue to be on recognition and binding studies, of the chosen set of SBBs which were previously delivered from the French partners, including the compound for which recently the single crystal X-ray structure has been determined [Cu(II) complex of the TMPA capped calix[6]arene]. The team working at the recognition and binding studies shall be joined, from April 26th, 2021, by the French intern Correntin Thouze, who will work on the calixDNA project at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, for the duration of three months (until August 2021). The meeting ended at 11:55 h.
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