The iChEM Professor Yun-Bao Jiang’s work on “Glucose Sensing via Aggregation and the Use of “Knock-Out” Binding to Improve Selectivity” was published in J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2013, 135, 1700–1703) and highlighted by ACS Spotlight and Noteworthy Chemistry on March 18.

It is generally accepted that monoboronic acid derivatives display higher sensitivity and selectivity for fructose over glucose. Synthetic receptors (chemosensors) as boronic acids are at the fore in providing potential solutions for glucose monitoring.

State-of-the-art boronic acid based glucose-selective sensors rely on synthetically challenging receptors. However, no significant breakthroughs in sensitivity or selectivity for this approach have been made in over 17 years. In order to solve the issue, Prof. Jiang, jointly worked with Prof. Tony D. James of University of Bath, UK, and Dr. John S. Fossey of University of Birmingham, UK, to design such probe molecules as pyrene fluorophores containing amphiphilic acid. They have developed a ratiometric fluorescent chemosensor based on an amphiphilic monoboronic acid that is highly selective and sensitive for glucose and also results in a very large modulation to changes in glucose concentration in aqueous solution.

Glucose monitoring is an important indicator in such many areas as biofuel cell, etc. The biofuel cell depends on a current production in the body through glucose enzymatic chemical reactions that combines glucose and oxygen (both present in mice body) together to work like a wire and provide continuous power to artificial organs. This is so-called “redox mediator agent”. So continuous monitoring of glucose levels becomes necessary. Scientists have been developing a similar diversity of devices in an environmentally friendly way to produce the current that can be applied to solve the problem of the power supply for future artificial organs.

Prof. Jiang’s research interests include photophysics of proton/electron transfer, supramolecular chemical sensing and molecular recognition, and biomacromolecular interactions.