Fax: (618)453-6408

Email: ygao@chem.siu.edu

B.Sc., Wuhan University, China, 1990

Ph.D., University of Alberta, Canada, 1998 (Supervisor: Prof. John C. Vederas)

Postdoc, Harvard Medical School, 1998-2000 (Supervisor: Prof. Robert R. Rando)

Assistant Professor, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2000-2006

Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2006-present

Magnetic Organic Nanomaterials and Biomaterials

Our research efforts have been focusing on design, synthesis and application of magnetic nanomaterials and biomaterials. We are particularly interested in the use of magnetic nanoparticles for nano-catalysis and bio-imaging.

Magnetic nanoparticle-supported chemical, biological and biomimetic catalyses. Recycling of homogeneous metal catalysts is a great challenge in industrial processes. Our group has recently examined the employment of magnetic nanoparticles as novel soluble matrices for supporting a number of metal-mediated organic reactions. Under an external magnetic field, a soluble catalyst immobilized on the surface of a magnetic nano-matrix can be magnetically concentrated and recovered for repeated uses. Magnetic nanometer-sized particles were also investigated as an orthogonal matrix of solid-phase resins for chromatography-free work-ups of three-phase reactions.

(Left): concentration of magnetic nanoparticle-supported homogeneous catalysts under an external permanent magnet. (Right) the use of magnetic nanoparticles for a three-phase “host-guest” Suzuki cross-coupling reaction.

In addition, our group is also interested in magnetic nanoparticle-supported enzymatic and biomimetic catalyses. Some of the immobilized bio-catalysts were found to exhibit tunable catalytic activity and selectivity‑‑dependent on the structure of their nano-hosts.

Magnetic nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents for bio-imaging and magnetic modulators for tumor hyperthermia therapies. Our group has constructed a group of composites of maghemite nanoparticles and polymers/dendrimers. Maghemite nanoparticles have been approved by the FDA as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with polymers (dendrimers) will allow us to systematically adjust magnetic relaxivities as well as physiological properties of our nanomaterials for tissue/cell-specific magnetic bio-imaging.

Representative structure of a composite of a maghemite nanoparticle and a G2-Simanek type dendron.

Students and postdoctoral fellows in our group will have an opportunity to be exposed to multidisciplinary research techniques used in organic synthesis, nanomaterials fabrication, and molecular biology. For example, TEM/SEM, NMR, SQUID, XPS, HPLC, GC, CE, PCR, cell/tissue culture, and small animal experiments were routinely carried out in our laboratory.

Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications:

14. “Magnetic Nano-'Hydrolase' for Cleaving Phosphoester and Carboxylic Ester Bonds under Mild Conditions” Zheng, Y.; Duanmu, C.; Gao, Y.* submitted.

13. “Enantioselective Hydrolysis of N-Acyl Amino Acids Catalyzed by Magnetic Nanoparticle-Supported Acylase I: Effects of the Matrix Size on the Enzyme Activity and Stereoselectivity” Gardimalla, H. M. R.; Gao, Y.* submitted.

12. “Dendron–Functionalized Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles with Tunable Solubility in Organic and Aqueous Media: Matrices for Homogeneous Catalysis and Potential MRI Contrast Agents” Duanmu, C.; Saha, I.; Zheng, Y.; Goodson, B. M.; Gao, Y.* submitted.

11. “Magnetic Nanoparticles as an Orthogonal Support of Polymer Resins: Applications to Solid-Phase Suzuki Cross-Coupling Reactions” Zheng, Y.; Stevens, P. D.; Gao, Y.* J. Org. Chem. 2006, 71, 537-542.

10. Gao, Y. in Nanofabrication towards Biomedical Applications -Biofunctionalization of Nanomaterials, Kumar, C., Ed.; Wiley-VCH: New York, 2005, pp72-98.

9. “Superparamagnetic Nanoparticle-Supported Catalysis of Suzuki Cross-Coupling Reactions” Stevens, P. D.; Fan, J.; Gardimalla, H. M. R.; Yen, M.; Gao, Y.* Organic Lett. 2005, 7, 2085-2088.

8. “Recycling of Homogeneous Pd Catalysts using Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles as Novel Soluble Supports for Suzuki, Heck, and Sonogashira Cross-Coupling Reactions” Stevens, P. D.; Li, G.;Fan, J.; Yen, M.; Gao, Y.* Chem. Commun. 2005, 4435-4437.

7. “Superparamagnetic Nanoparticle-Supported Enzymatic Resolution of Racemic Carboxylates” Gardimalla,H. M. R.; Mandal, D.;Stevens, P. D.; Yen, M., Gao, Y.* Chem Commun 2005, 4432-4434.

6. “Cross-linking the Linear Polymeric Chains in the ATRP Synthesis of Iron Oxide/Polystyrene Core/Shell Nanoparticles” Li, G.; Fan, J.; Gao, Y.* Chem. Mater. 2004, 16, 1835-1837.

5. “Use of Water-Soluble Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles with Narrow Size Distributions in Isolating Avidin” Fan, J.; Lu, J.; Xu, R.; Jiang, R.; Gao, Y.* J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2003, 266, 215-218.

4. “Synthesis of Monodisperse g-Fe₂O₃ Nanocrystals Coated with the Ligands of Alkyl Sulfonate/Alcohol” Lu, J.; Fan, J.; Xu, R.; Roy, S.; Ali, N.; Gao, Y.* J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2003, 258, 427-431.

3. “Coating Gold Nanoparticles with Peptide Molecules via A Peptide Elongation Approach” Fan, J.; Chen, S.; Gao, Y.* Colloids Surf., B: Biointerfaces 2003, 28, 199-207.

2. “Encapsulation of Uranyl Acetate Molecules Using Hollow Polymer Templates” Fan, J.; Bozzola, J. J.; Gao, Y.* J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2002, 254, 108-112.

1. “Glycopeptide Antibiotics and Development of New Antibacterial Agents to Overcome Vancomycin Resistance” Gao, Y.* Nat. Prod. Rep. 2002, 19, 1-9.