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MISSOULA – The �����ؿ� recently was awarded a federal grant to study how to make synthetic molecules transform into coiled-spring “helix” shapes. This could lead to new materials with advanced properties.

The three-year, $575,000 award went to the lab of Orion Berryman, a researcher in the UM Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The grant was presented by the National Science Foundation.

Berryman said his team will study how to make molecules fold into specific shapes, which impart different properties to the molecule. His lab wants to force artificial molecules to coil into double or even triple helixes.

DNA, which contains the instructions for an organism to develop and survive, is an example of a double-helix molecule with powerful properties. Berryman said his team will add different atoms onto molecules to entice them to coil up. They will work with “foldamers” – long chain-like molecules that fold into an ordered state.

He said the helical shape creates a pore that can bind to other molecules. Thus, these molecules can be used to study moving other molecules through biological membranes like cell walls.

“If we can control the shapes of molecules, we can control their properties,” Berryman said. “We are acting like molecular architects trying to design molecules.”

He said synthesizing complex shapes is challenging and can lead to advanced properties like binding strongly to other molecules. Such properties could help scientists study biological processes or develop nanomaterials with new properties.

“I’m most excited about discovering new molecular shapes,” Berryman said. “Triple helices are very complicated to construct, and there are very few synthetic examples. If we can figure out how to engineer this complex structure, it will help other researchers build complexity into their molecular designs.

He said the work could “bring us closer to realizing the full potential of foldamers in practical and real-world applications. With continued exploration, these foldamer-based technologies have the potential to address complex molecular design challenges and drive progress in materials science and nanotechnology.”

Berryman said the grant will allow him to employ two UM graduate students and two undergraduate researchers, with priority given to women and Native American representation. Sentinel High School teacher Michael Janke also will work in the lab, discovering new ways to crystallize molecules.

The official title of the grant award is “Elucidating the Assembly of Higher-Order Anion Foldamers: The Influence of Charge, Sterics and the HBeXB.”

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Contact: Orion Berryman, UM chemistry professor, 406-243-4546, orion.berryman@umontana.edu.