Invitation to an Excellent Chemistry Lecture organized by Cluster 1

The Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences cordially invites you to the next lecture in the Excellent Chemistry Lecture series, organized within Cluster 1: “Advanced Biomaterials and Technologies for Health.”

Our next speaker is Dr. Jean-Paul Desaulniers – Professor of Chemistry at Ontario Tech University in Canada.

Dr. Desaulniers leads a research group in chemical biology (link: https://jpdesaulniers.com/jpd) focused on the design of modified nucleic acids for applications such as antisense oligonucleotides and siRNAs. With training at Western University, Wayne State University (PhD, under Christine Chow), and postdoctoral work at the University of Michigan (with Anna Mapp), he has built a career at the interface of chemistry and biology. Since 2008, he has combined research with teaching advanced courses in chemical biology and organic chemistry, while also coordinating international student-exchange programs with universities in China, the UK, Thailand, and Japan.

Date and time: Thursday, September 25, 2025, 10:00 AM (CEST)

Place: IChF Aula (in-person seminar)

Lecture title:

"Fluorine Forward: Enhancing Oligonucleotide Power"

Abstract:

This talk discusses how fluorine can be used to improve our work in developing and using chemically-modified oligonucleotides for downstream applications. First, I will discuss our work in using an ortho-functionalized tetrafluorinated azobenzene within short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to optically control gene-silencing in both in vitro and in vivo systems. This will be followed by our work in studying gene activation, and how short activating RNAs (saRNAs) containing a 2'-fluoro adenosine in conjunction with other modifications such as a C3-propyl spacer can improve both resistance to nucleases and gene activation potential. Finally, I will present some data on how a fully 2'-fluorinated oligonucleotide (F-all) bound to a biopolymer, alginate, can be used to improve a prototype biosensor for forensic analysis.

This event is mandatory for all PhD students in Cluster 1, but we also warmly invite the wider IChF community to attend.