{"id":14,"date":"2021-11-21T15:14:19","date_gmt":"2021-11-21T15:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/about\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T17:46:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T17:46:18","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"14\" class=\"elementor elementor-14\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3447f83 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-items-middle\" data-id=\"3447f83\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b3a35f8\" data-id=\"b3a35f8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32eb271 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"32eb271\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8f66c5b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8f66c5b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b6bb4d5\" data-id=\"b6bb4d5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-06154bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"06154bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-column .elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--spacer-size)}.e-con{--container-widget-width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer{width:var(--container-widget-width,var(--spacer-size));--align-self:var(--container-widget-align-self,initial);--flex-shrink:0}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container{height:100%;width:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer{height:100%}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer>.elementor-widget-container>.elementor-spacer>.elementor-spacer-inner{height:var(--container-widget-height,var(--spacer-size))}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty{position:relative;min-height:22px;min-width:22px}.e-con-inner>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon,.e-con>.elementor-widget-spacer.elementor-widget-empty .elementor-widget-empty-icon{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;left:0;right:0;margin:auto;padding:0;width:22px;height:22px}<\/style>\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-89be507 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"89be507\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3a177f1\" data-id=\"3a177f1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d5331e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7d5331e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><b>Research Overview<\/b><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;\">Modern chemistry has a central role in our technological society. But the classical methods we rely on to synthesize complex molecules are often wasteful and typically involve components that are harmful to the environment.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;\">In contrast, biological cells have already solved the problem of <i>making complex molecules efficiently<\/i>. They function as chemical \u201cnanofactories,\u201d operating under biocompatible conditions and aligning with the principles of sustainable chemistry.\u00a0<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a22c93 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3a22c93\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.20.0 - 10-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F1-cells-are-better.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2459\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F1-cells-are-better.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F1-cells-are-better-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F1-cells-are-better-768x405.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 1. Learning from nature. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bfb445b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bfb445b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">Beyond that, cells can work together to form\u00a0<i>functional tissues<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>dynamic structures<\/i>\u00a0with capabilities far beyond what we can currently engineer in the lab.<i><\/i><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><i>Our research takes inspiration from nature to design synthetic, dynamic soft materials that replicate key cellular physical and chemical features, including:<\/i><\/span><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">(1)<\/span>\u00a0<i><u>The efficient synthesis and processing of complex<\/u>\u00a0<\/i>molecules in aqueous media under mild, environmentally friendly conditions.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">(2)<\/span>\u00a0<i><u>Modular responsive materials<\/u>\u00a0<\/i>that can sense their environment, communicate, and adapt their chemistry, rheology, and structural organization in response to external cues.<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">(3)<\/span>\u00a0<i><u>Multi-compartmental structures<\/u>\u00a0<\/i>with a cell-like, compartment-in-compartment architecture that enables spatial and temporal control of chemical and physical processes within nano- to micrometer-scale assemblies<i>.<\/i><\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">Our work also seeks to:<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">(4)<\/span>\u00a0<i><u>Elucidate the<\/u><\/i><u>\u00a0<i>molecular mechanisms<\/i><\/u>\u00a0that drive the assembly and dynamic behavior of these bio-inspired systems, with an emphasis on condensate and fiber formation in aqueous media.<\/p><p style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/p><p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Our approach<\/span>\u00a0focuses on designing supramolecular chemical systems that use synthetic vesicles and condensates (coacervates) as structural building blocks and dynamic soft scaffolds to mimic cellular compartments (<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Figure 2<\/span>).\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c986ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7c986ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F2-biomimetic-compartments.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2458\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F2-biomimetic-compartments.png 800w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F2-biomimetic-compartments-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F2-biomimetic-compartments-768x391.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 2. Biomimetic compartments of interest in our group include polymer vesicles and condensates (coacervates).<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d614f68 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d614f68\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;\">These systems not only provide a platform for studying the properties of biomimetic compartments but also serve as building blocks for engineering life-like systems, such as artificial organelles and microreactors (<b>Figure 3<\/b>).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e6571c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e6571c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"325\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F3-engineering-life-like-systems.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2460\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F3-engineering-life-like-systems.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F3-engineering-life-like-systems-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F3-engineering-life-like-systems-768x320.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 3. Biomimetic compartments serve as building blocks for engineering life-like systems. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b702032 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b702032\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>We are pursuing several application areas, including:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Microreactors for chemoenzymatic catalysis<\/li><li>Catalytic condensates for organocatalysis<\/li><li>Controlled phase separation and fiber formation (liquid-to-solid transitions)<\/li><li>Stabilization of biomolecules, catalysts, and supramolecular assemblies<\/li><li>Design of minimal coacervate systems<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Selected examples:<\/strong><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p>Our Lab has developed <strong><em>new types of biomimetic compartments<\/em><\/strong> that respond to stimuli such as temperature, pH, and light, greatly enhancing control, functionality, and stability in aqueous environments (<strong>Figure 4<\/strong>).<sup>1-3<\/sup>\u00a0These dynamic systems enable selective molecular partitioning, chemical communication, and the creation of finely tuned nano- and microscale environments, capabilities not accessible through classical chemical methods<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e5025c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9e5025c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F4-representative-examples.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2461\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F4-representative-examples.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F4-representative-examples-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F4-representative-examples-768x427.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 4. Representative examples of biomimetic compartments and multicompartment systems developed by our group (2022-2025). <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-503b542 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"503b542\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our research has shown that these robust, responsive compartments can support complex <strong><em>chemical synthesis in water<\/em><\/strong>, eliminating the need for toxic organic solvents.<sup>2<\/sup> More intriguingly, we have demonstrated that our engineered nanoreactors can be internalized by living cells and remain functional inside them, paving the way to <strong><em>hybrid synthetic-biological systems<\/em><\/strong> and therapeutic applications where externally designed nanoreactors can modulate cellular behavior from within (<strong>Figure 5<\/strong>).<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db16b7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"db16b7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F5-artificial-organelles.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2462\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F5-artificial-organelles.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F5-artificial-organelles-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F5-artificial-organelles-768x421.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 5. A peptide-based coacervate carrying transition-metal catalysts functions as an artificial organelle in living cells while preserving viability.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c48b33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3c48b33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Beyond designing functional macromolecules and peptides, we are also developing techniques to assemble\u00a0<strong><em>cell-like structures with tunable architecture\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(<strong>Figure 6<\/strong>).<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be5963d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"be5963d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F6-cell-like-architecture.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2464\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F6-cell-like-architecture.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F6-cell-like-architecture-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F6-cell-like-architecture-768x316.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 6. Combining biomimetic compartments yields multicompartmentalized soft materials with cell-like architecture<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f7a32a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f7a32a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We have pioneered <strong><em>coacervates derived from \u201cminimal\u201d chemical structures<\/em><\/strong>, enabling direct correlations between molecular structure and material properties. These systems are based on short peptides, which allow for straightforward data analysis using well-established chemical and structural characterization techniques, as well as more affordable and reliable computational modeling (<strong>Figure 7<\/strong>). Through this integrated approach &#8211; combining molecular design, experimental characterization, and computer simulation &#8211; our research is establishing a new paradigm for understanding coacervate formation and their unique dynamic behavior.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9618f13 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9618f13\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"451\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F7-short-peptide-coacervates-1.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2466\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F7-short-peptide-coacervates-1.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F7-short-peptide-coacervates-1-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F7-short-peptide-coacervates-1-768x443.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 7. Peptide-based coacervates developed by our group exhibit low polarity and reduced water content, enabling functional soft materials and cell-like catalysts. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e26fa79 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e26fa79\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>An interesting and powerful application of short-peptide coacervates introduced by our group is the design of new coacervate-based catalytic systems.<sup>2,3<\/sup> Selective encapsulation of catalysts within the hydrophobic microenvironment of peptide coacervates enables chemical reactions in water to proceed faster and can even allow the activity of catalysts that are otherwise incompatible with aqueous media. For example, we demonstrated that a transition-metal catalyst can be active in water when incorporated into peptide coacervate droplets (<strong>Figure 8<\/strong>).\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77e05e6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"77e05e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F8-TMC-microreactor.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2467\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F8-TMC-microreactor.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F8-TMC-microreactor-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F8-TMC-microreactor-768x418.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 8. A transition-metal catalyst encapsulated in peptide coacervate droplets enables reactions in water.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6daea89 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6daea89\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Another example of peptide coacervates in catalysis introduced by our group uses a proline-based peptide that forms self-catalytic coacervates for applications in organocatalysis (<strong>Figure 9<\/strong>).<sup>5<\/sup> This work demonstrates that both the active site and the protective microenvironment can be encoded within a single simple peptide, reminiscent of how enzymes self-organize into catalytic structures based on sequence information.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72eb863 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"72eb863\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"781\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F9-PFF-microreactor.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2468\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F9-PFF-microreactor.png 781w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F9-PFF-microreactor-300x106.png 300w, https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/F9-PFF-microreactor-768x271.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 781px) 100vw, 781px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 9. A self-catalytic peptide coacervate for organocatalysis in water<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a66f42c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a66f42c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>In summary<\/strong>, our group designs and builds synthetic, life-like compartments with precise control from the molecular level to functional materials. This integrated approach allows us to address key challenges in creating artificial cell-like systems. By bridging chemistry and biology, we develop new strategies for efficient catalysis, engineer responsive soft materials that sense and adapt to their environment, and create models of cellular organization to explore biological compartmentalization and expand the functionality of synthetic materials. Ultimately, we aim to advance the development of artificial cells, bio-inspired catalytic systems, and responsive hierarchical materials for transformative applications in chemistry and biotechnology.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a25782 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3a25782\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Selected references:<\/strong><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">1.\u00a0<\/span>S. Cao, P. Zhou, G. Shen, T. Ivanov, X. Yan, K. Landfester, L. Caire da Silva*, \u201cBinary Peptide Coacervates as an Active Model for Biomolecular Condensates\u201d,\u00a0\u00a0<em>Nature Communications<\/em>, 16, 2407 (<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">2025<\/span>). [<a style=\"background-color: #ffffff; transition-property: all;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-025-57772-z\">link]<\/a><\/p><p>.<\/p><p><strong>2.<\/strong> S. Cao, P. Zhou, G. Shen, T. Ivanov, X. Yan, K. Landfester, L. Caire da Silva*, \u201cDipeptide Coacervates as Artificial Membraneless Organelles for Bioorthogonal Catalysis\u201d,\u00a0 <em>Nature Communications<\/em>, 15, 39 (<strong>2024<\/strong>). [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-023-44278-9\">link<\/a>]<\/p><p>.<\/p><p><strong>3. <\/strong>\u00a0H. Bremm Madalosso, S. Cao, T. Ivanov, M. de Souza Melchiors, K. Koynov, C. Guindani, P. Henrique Hermes de Ara\u00fajo, C. Sayer, K. Landfester, L. Caire da Silva*, \u201cPeptide-Induced Division of Polymersomes for Biomimetic Compartmentalization\u201d,<em>\u00a0Angewandte Chemie International Edition<\/em>, e202413089 (<strong>2024<\/strong>). [<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/anie.202413089\">link<\/a>]<\/p><p>.<\/p><p><strong>4.<\/strong>\u00a0T. Ivanov, S. Cao, N. Bohra, M. de Souza Melchiors, L. Caire da Silva*, and K. Landfester*. \u201cPolymeric Microreactors with pH-Controlled Spatial Localization of Cascade Reactions\u201d, ACS Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces, 15, 50755-50764 (<strong>2023<\/strong>). [<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acsami.3c09196\">link<\/a>]<\/p><p>.<\/p><p><strong>5.<\/strong> Z. Dai, M. Meyn, and L. Caire da Silva*. \u201cOrganocatalytic Peptide Coacervates as Microreactors for Aqueous Aldol Reactions\u201d, ChemRXiv (<strong>2025<\/strong>). doi:10.26434\/chemrxiv-2025-zh29q [<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.26434\/chemrxiv-2025-zh29q\">link<\/a>]<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4b16d40 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4b16d40\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f0ef5ea\" data-id=\"f0ef5ea\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1d445bd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1d445bd\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3fbbef0\" data-id=\"3fbbef0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ebe373f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"ebe373f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Research Research Overview Modern chemistry has a central role in our technological society. But the classical methods we rely on to synthesize complex molecules are often wasteful and typically involve components that are harmful to the environment. \u00a0 In contrast, biological cells have already solved the problem of making complex molecules efficiently. They function as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"enabled","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":182,"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2532,"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14\/revisions\/2532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cairesilvagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}