Nick was born in Athens, Greece, but grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He obtained his A.B. in chemistry from Harvard University, followed by a one-year stint to earn a Master’s in chemical engineering at MIT. He then pursued doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, working with Prof. Matthew Francis. His research focused on using site-specific bioconjugation chemistry to modify viral capsid nano-scaffolds, in order to create materials for energy, biomedicine, and nanotechnology. After earning his PhD in 2010, he went to Northwestern University for postdoctoral studies, supported by both NIH Ruth Kirschtein and International Institute for Nanotechnology fellowships, working with Prof. Samuel Stupp on self-assembling peptide nanomaterials and their applications to regenerative medicine.
At both Berkeley and Northwestern, Nick became interested in integrating proteins and peptides with DNA nanotechnology. In 2015, he began his independent career at Arizona State University, with a goal to merge these molecules into a new class of hybrid nanomaterials, with applications across a range of fields. In May 2021 he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in the School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics, and has affiliate appointments in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, The Biomimicry Center, and the Global Security Initiative at ASU. Since coming to ASU, Nick has received the 2016 Air Force (AFOSR) Young Investigator Award, the 2018 Elsa U. Pardee Foundation Award for Cancer Research, the 2018 NSF CAREER Award, and the 2018 NIH New Innovator Award.
The common theme that underlies all our research is self-assembling hybrid protein-DNA and peptide-DNA nanomaterials. We seek to merge the programmability of DNA nanotechnology through the functionality and structural diversity of proteins, which in turn requires site-specific biological conjugates. Four broad areas of interest include:
1) Structural Protein-DNA Nanotechnology. Biological systems like cells are a marvel of self-assembling protein nanostructures, which carry out functions like signaling, mechanical support, ligand binding, or intracellular transport. Despite the great chemical diversity of proteins, however, it is still challenging to rationally design nanostructures from scratch. DNA nanotechnology, by contrast, has the advantage of programmability thanks to the specificity of Watson-Crick pairing, but at the expense of chemical and functional diversity. We aim to merge protein and DNA nanotechnology, by integrating self-assembling protein motifs such as coiled-coils, oligomeric assemblies, or protein-protein interactions with DNA nanostructures. This in turn requires the use of multiple, site-specific bioconjugation reactions to attach oligonucleotide handles to the polypeptide molecule. We also explore non-covalent approaches for modifying proteins and peptides with DNA, including protein-based interactions (e.g. coiled-coils) or completely synthetic motifs (e.g. host-guest chemistry).
We aim to create both symmetric structures like fibers, sheets, or 3D cages, and highly anisotropic materials that approach the complexity of DNA origami. We envision these hybrid materials as nanoscaffolds for targeted cargo delivery (“artificial viruses”), development of antibody mimics, as well as the synthesis of vaccines or other immune-modulatory materials, and molecular machines/“nano-bots.”
2) Protein/peptide-DNA bio(nano)materials. In addition to their fascinating structural properties, proteins and peptides have a wealth of promising functional attributes for biology and medicine. This area of lab research involves making biomaterials (such as dynamic surfaces/hydrogels) and nanomaterials (e.g. synthetic antibodies, vaccines, drug delivery vehicles) using DNA as a functional linker, or as a scaffold/therapeutic cage. We also focus on coating DNA nanostructures with peptide and protein coatings, essentially functionalizing the DNA “skeleton” with a bioactive protein/peptide “skin.” The subset of projects in this area include:
For all these projects, we collaborate extensively with biologists, engineers, and doctors to validate our materials in vitro, and eventually transition them to in vivo applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
3) DNA-templated synthesis of proteins and protein nanostructures. Oligonucleotides are a remarkable template for the sequence-specific synthesis of other molecules, with a prime example being mRNA translation into an amino acid polymer by the ribosome. We aim to use programmable DNA handles and scaffolds to synthesize novel materials driven by the co-localization and spatial control of the DNA to position peptides and proteins. We are investigating two key areas: (1) Synthesis of full-length proteins from individual peptide fragments via sequential, templated native chemical ligation; and (2) Synthesis of anisotropic protein nanostructures using DNA “assemblers” that position the individual components in space. Our ultimate goal is to synthesize full-length functional proteins “from scratch” (including ones that incorporate many synthetic residues) and “3D protein nano-printing” to build protein structures that approach DNA origami in complexity.
4) Self-assembled DNA crystals as macromolecular scaffolds. The foundational goal of DNA nanotechnology, as outlined by Ned Seeman in 1982, is to use self-assembling DNA strands to construct 3D crystals with defined cavities, in order to artificially “crystallize” other guest molecules like proteins. In collaboration with the lab of Prof. Hao Yan at ASU, we are exploring both the design principles for novel crystal lattices—with varying cavity sizes and symmetries—and the attachment of guest species like small molecules, catalysts, nanoparticles, peptides, and proteins in these crystals with atomic precision. These materials can be used for both structural elucidation of the guests, as well as to create novel materials from the 3D positioning of functional molecules like enzymes, catalysts, or drugs.
Independent Career (* = corresponding author):
Postdoctoral and Graduate Research (* = co-first author):
Spring 2022 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
Spring 2021 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
CHM 494 | Special Topics |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
CHM 598 | Special Topics |
Fall 2020 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
CHM 233 | General Organic Chemistry I |
Spring 2020 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
CHM 598 | Special Topics |
Summer 2019 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
Spring 2019 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
CHM 598 | Special Topics |
Fall 2018 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
CHM 233 | General Organic Chemistry I |
Summer 2018 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
Spring 2018 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
MBB 495 | Undergraduate Research |
CHM 598 | Special Topics |
Fall 2017 | |
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Course Number | Course Title |
CHM 233 | General Organic Chemistry I |
Invited Conference Presentations and Seminars