Department of Chemistry

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Amit Basu

Professor of Chemistry, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Chemistry, Concentration Advisor: ScB Chemical Biology track
abasu@brown.edu
401-863-9897
GeoChem 445
Research Profile
Research Interests Glycobiology, Polymers, Nanomaterials, Molecular recognition, Synthetic organic chemistry, Interfacial recognition, Biophysical chenistery

Biography

Research Statement

The Basu lab is interested in questions that lie at the interface of chemistry, biology, and materials science. We are particularly interested in fundamental studies of how carbohydrates, which are found on every type of cell surface, engage in molecular recognition in biological systems. These recognition events are important for cell-cell communication, formation of multi-cellular assemblies, and in many pathologies.

Current Foci Include

  • Glycochemistry of the plant cell wall
  • Identification of small molecules that interfere with bacterial cell wall dynamics and can serve as leads for new antibiotics
  • Studies of carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions and carbohydrate hydration using NMR

Research in the group includes: glycochemistry and glycobiology; synthesis and application of novel polymers and nanomaterials; development of new sensors and diagnostic agents.

Education

  • 1996 - Ph.D.: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • 1992 - B.A.: Reed College

Publications

  • A Functionalizable Analog of the Yariv Reagent for AGP Imaging using Fluorescence Microscopy S Rueda, TJ McCubbin, M Shieh, R Hoshing, DM Braun, A Basu Bioconj Chem 2023, ASAP   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.3c00184   Selected as ACS Editor’s Choice Article
  • Inhibition of Streptococcus pneumoniae autolysins highlight distinct differences between chemical and genetic inactivation BA Haubrich, S Nayyab, M Gallati, J Hernandez, C Williams, A Whitman, T Zimmerman, Q Li, Y Chen, C-Z Zhou, A Basu, & CW Reid Microbiology 2022, 168:001182 doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001182
  • The Chirality of Aggregated Yariv Reagents Correlates with Their AGP‐Binding Ability R Hoshing, BW Leeber, H Kuhn, D Caianiello, B Dale, M Saladino, R Lusi, N Palaychuk, S Weingarten, & A Basu ChemBioChem 2022, 23, e202100532 doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202100532  • Selected as cover feature artwork - doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202100613
  • Detection of Ligand Binding to Glycopolymers Using Saturation Transfer Difference NMR J Muzulu, A Basu Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2021, 23, 21934–40.   doi.org/10.1039/D1CP03410C
  • An Improved Protocol for the Synthesis and Purification of Yariv Reagents R Hoshing, M Saladino, H Kuhn, D Caianiello, RF Lusi, A Basu J. Org. Chem. 2020, 85, 16236−42. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.0c01812
  • Diamide inhibitors of the Bacillus subtilis N-acetylglucosaminidase LytG that exhibit anti-bacterial activity S Nayyab,M O’Connor, J Brewster, J Gravier, M Jamieson, E Magno, R Miller, D Phelan, K Roohani, P Williard, A Basu, CW Reid ACS Infect. Dis. 2017, 3 421–427. doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00005
  • Glycopolymers Prepared by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization Followed by Glycoconjugation Using a Triazole-Forming “Click” Reaction R Okoth, A Basu Methods in molecular biology. 2016 1367 29-37.
  • Galactan synthesis in a single step via oligomerization of monosaccharides M Dräger, A Basu Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 2658–2663. doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.10.279

Full publication list on Google Scholar