Overview

Welcome! Our lab is at the Faculty of Chemistry of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. We mainly work with non-canonical DNA structures for bioanalytical and biomedical purposes. Except of the most widely recognized DNA double helix, it is evident that DNA adopts alternative secondary structures such as G-quadruplexes, i-motifs, triplexes and hairpins. Non- canonical DNA structures contribute to essential biological processes and are often present in disease-related genes. The diversity of nucleic acid forms is also connected with the affinity of oligonucleotides for binding specific biomolecules or inorganic molecules, including biometals and catalytic capacities of some sequences (called aptamers and DNAzymes, respectively). Our research is related to the development and optimization of the fluorescent oligonucleotide probes dedicated to extracellular and intracellular measurements based on G-quadruplexes and i-motifs forming sequences, as well as DNAzymes. We also focus on designing, synthesis and characterization of new ligands and their interaction with guanine quadruplexes. Our projects involve a combination of optical spectroscopy, various biophysical techniques, chemical synthesis, molecular biology and medicinal chemistry. Main projects:  I-motif-based fluorescent probes for intracellular pH monitoring  G-quadruplex-based fluorescent probes for potassium ion detection  Application of modified DNAzymes with peroxidase activity in biomedical diagnostics  Synthesis and selective interactions of small organic ligands (e.g. carbazole derivatives) and metallacrowns with G-quadruplexes  Bioanalytical potential of oligonucleotides labeled with 5-halogeno-4-thiouridine