Youth Science and Innovation Projects
Research on the Degradation Mechanism of 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid-Based Biodegradable Materials
Faced with the increasingly severe issue of plastic pollution, nearly 90 countries and regions worldwide have introduced policies and regulations to control or ban single-use non-biodegradable plastic products. Polyesters are polymer materials prepared through polycondensation reactions of dicarboxylic acids and diols or ring-opening reactions of lactones. Biodegradable polyesters, represented by aliphatic polyesters and aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters, constitute the most important research area of biodegradable polymers. 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (2,5-FDCA), which shares a similar structure with petroleum-based monomers terephthalic acid (PTA) and isophthalic acid (IPA), is currently one of the most promising bio-based platform compounds. Featuring a rigid furan ring structure, it can effectively enhance the mechanical properties and heat resistance of polymers, distinguishing it from other long-chain bio-based monomers and enabling it to replace PTA and IPA in synthesizing a series of furan-based polymers or additives.
Antioxidant Properties and Free Radical Scavenging Mechanism of Cyclocurcumin
Cyclocurcumin was first isolated and identified in 1993, but there have been few reports on it, possibly due to its low content in turmeric. Cyclocurcumin contains an α,β-unsaturated dihydropyranone moiety, differing from curcumin in its ketone or enol form. Recently, cyclocurcumin has been found to possess immunomodulatory, anti-vasoconstrictive, anti-cancer, neuroprotective, anti-Alzheimer’s disease, and anti-influenza properties. These reports highlight the significance of cyclocurcumin and call for systematic and in-depth research on its physicochemical properties, bioavailability, safety, and health activities, such as free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties.
Allosteric Regulation Mechanism of Xylanase Xyl-1
Xylan is the main component of hemicellulose and is abundant in materials such as rice straw, corn cobs, and sugarcane bagasse. Endo-β-1,4-xylanases are the most important enzymes for degrading the xylan backbone, as they typically convert long-chain xylans into various oligosaccharides. Therefore, xylanases have been successfully applied in industrial and agricultural fields, including biofuel production, textile manufacturing, pulp bleaching, animal feed, and the food industry. Compared to other xylanase families, GH11 family xylanases have a smaller molecular weight, as well as powerful substrate selectivity and catalytic efficiency, making these enzymes suitable candidates for industrial use.
Molecular Mechanism of Melatonin in Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
Exercise can prevent the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), delay its progression, effectively improve AD pathology, and enhance memory and cognitive abilities. The type, intensity, and duration of exercise can affect the levels of melatonin (Mel) in the human body. As an endogenous natural small molecule, Mel can prevent dementia behaviors, improve cognitive abilities, and alleviate amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau burdens. Experiments have found that Mel can inhibit tau aggregation and disaggregate tau fibrils, but the molecular mechanism of Mel’s impact on oligomers and their interactions remains unclear. Therefore, this study employs molecular dynamics simulations to explore the molecular mechanism of Mel binding and disrupting the stability of R3-R4 oligomers, aiming to elucidate the microscopic mechanism of how exercise affects tau fibrosis and prevents or alleviates AD progression. This provides a theoretical basis for exercise intervention as a drug alternative or adjuvant therapy for AD.
Study on the Interaction Between Plant Cellulose Hemicellulose and Proanthocyanidins
Polyphenols in fruits and vegetables possess various potential bioactivities, and their dietary intake is associated with a reduced risk of multiple chronic diseases. Besides some endogenous factors, such as the microbiota and related digestive enzymes, the food matrix (e.g., dietary fiber) can also significantly regulate their bioavailability and further metabolism. Most ingested polyphenols, especially macromolecular polyphenols like proanthocyanidins, are not bioavailable in the stomach and small intestine. This process may mediate the potential beneficial effects of dietary fiber-polyphenol complexes, as they or their catabolites may be absorbed and utilized by the human body. Therefore, the interaction between dietary fiber and polyphenols may affect the bioavailability of polyphenols.
Study on the Sensitivity and Interaction of Energetic Ionic Salts in Energetic Materials
In the design of energetic materials, polynitrogen compounds have become a research focus. Polynitrogen compounds offer advantages such as high density, positive heat of formation, high stability, and large gas production, making them suitable for use as propellants. As the structure of energetic materials becomes increasingly complex, evolving from linear and monocyclic structures to cage-like and multi-rod structures, their detonation performance continues to improve, and sensitivity performance has also become crucial. The more complex the structure, the more complex the influencing factors, and it is urgent to study and clarify the connection between their structure and performance. This not only provides a theoretical basis and ideas for designing new low-inductance energetic materials but also facilitates the establishment of related databases.
Regulatory Role of Liquidambaric Acid (LDA) on TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 2 and Its Functional Study in Colon Cancer
Liquidambaric acid (LDA), an active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Liquidambar formosana, has been demonstrated to exhibit antitumor effects. The antitumor mechanism of LDA involves binding to TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2). TRAF2 is a multifunctional adapter protein widely involved in various tumor biological events, including cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. TRAF2 is often amplified and rearranged in multiple tumors and has been identified as an oncogene. Especially in colon cancer, high expression of TRAF2 is associated with poor patient prognosis and plays a positive regulatory role in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, making it a potential target for colon cancer treatment.
Managing White Pollution: Enzymatic Catalysis in PET Plastic Degradation
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is an aromatic polymer linked by terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol through ester bonds. Due to its non-toxic, odorless nature, low material cost, and excellent barrier properties, PET is one of the most widely used materials for beverage packaging globally, commonly found in mineral water bottles and juice beverage bottles. With the continuous development and application of PET materials, it has been discovered that this plastic product is extremely difficult to recycle and process, posing a significant challenge to ecological stability and sustainable development in the future.
Study on the Compatibility of Modifiers with Asphalt and the Adhesion Properties of Modified Asphalt
In recent years, China has accelerated its pace in building a powerful transportation country, with the construction scale of asphalt pavements gradually expanding. Over 90% of highways are paved with asphalt. However, issues arising in modern transportation have raised the performance requirements for asphalt pavements, and ordinary base asphalt cannot meet the requirements for high-grade highways. Therefore, most new high-grade highways in recent years have adopted polymer-modified asphalt as the binder. Among polymer modifiers, thermoplastic elastomers are the preferred modifiers for asphalt, with styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) being the most widely used, accounting for more than 60% of the total modified asphalt. It can effectively improve the overall performance of asphalt pavements.
Sensitive Detection of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Using Cas12-Based Single-Step Isothermal Method
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and lethal, with early diagnosis being crucial despite limitations in existing detection methods. This project leverages miRNAs (such as miR223 and miR1274a) as biomarkers, combined with isothermal amplification-CRISPR/Cas12 systems, to develop a highly sensitive and specific COPD diagnostic technique. Additionally, a portable fluorescence quantifier, VBD3, enables non-invasive detection, paving a new path for early detection and personalized treatment of COPD.
Cultivating Joy from Within: The Synthesis of Serotonin
Depression is a prevalent mental illness affecting over 264 million people globally. A lack of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) is considered a key contributor. Increasing serotonin levels can improve patients’ conditions. While existing antidepressants have proven effective, new therapies are still being explored. This project studied the tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) gene in four model organisms (humans, mice, rabbits, and zebrafish), aiming to screen for the most effective TPH1 gene for expression and protein purification through Escherichia coli, comparing their functional activities. This synthetic biology approach has integrated an arabinose suicide system to ensure safety and controllability, providing a new avenue for depression treatment.
Engineering Escherichia coli with Heavy Metal Detection and Recovery Capabilities
Heavy metal pollution is a severe global issue, with China facing contamination on 20 million hectares of farmland, resulting in significant economic losses. Heavy metals impact soil microbial activity, reduce soil fertility, affect plant growth, and pose severe threats to human health. Existing treatment methods are complex and difficult to apply on a large scale. The project team has developed Escherichia coli with heavy metal detection and recovery capabilities, offering a new solution for heavy metal contamination in agricultural land. This Escherichia coli can rapidly detect heavy metal ion levels in soil, bind to the ions, and be separated from the soil through a specific process, while also incorporating a suicide switch to prevent escape.
Rapid Saliva-Based Self-Testing System for Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Hepatitis B virus infection is a global public health issue affecting over 350 million people. As a key region in the Western Pacific, China is crucial to achieving the goal of eliminating hepatitis B by 2030. Existing serum-based testing methods are invasive, costly, and time-consuming. Given that hepatitis B virus DNA also exists in saliva, this project aims to develop an efficient saliva-based rapid self-testing system for hepatitis B virus infection, combining CRISPR/Cas12 and RPA technologies for rapid and feasible home-based detection, superior to traditional serum-based methods.
Directed Evolution Enhances the Activity of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Degrading Enzymes
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has found extensive applications in various fields, particularly in the packaging industry, due to its superior physical and chemical properties. However, plastic pollution is becoming an increasingly severe environmental issue. Currently, biological degradation, especially enzymatic degradation, has emerged as a highly feasible and environmentally friendly method for PET treatment. The aim of the project is to clone a PET degrading enzymes gene into a vector using homologous recombination, and to construct mutant libraries of cloned PETase genes using error-prone PCR in order to screen for PETase with higher activity.
Portable Multi-Target Detection for Colorectal Cancer (CRC) via ncRNA and cfDNA (PMT-CRC)
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with approximately 930,000 deaths projected in 2024. Current screening methods such as colonoscopy, FOBT, and FIT face challenges like invasiveness, inconvenience, and dietary restrictions, leading to low compliance. The aim of the project is to target CRC biomarkers, including cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and non-coding RNA (ncRNA), using branching rolled circle amplification (BRCA) and CRISPR-Cas12a technologies to improve sensitivity and specificity in order to provide a rapid, portable, and non-invasive detection system.
One-pot Assay for Rapid Detection of Hepatitis B Virus by Combining RPA and CRISPR/Cas12 in Saliva
Hepatitis B caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a global public health problem, with statistics indicating that 254 million people worldwide will be infected in 2022, causing 1.08 million deaths. Chronic HBV infection is very common in China. Currently, HBV testing is invasive, has low sensitivity and other shortcomings. In addition, there is no specific drug for the treatment of hepatitis B, and existing therapies cannot eradicate the virus. Therefore, early detection of the hepatitis B virus and allowing patients to learn about their infection as early as possible is an important way to control the source of infection and cut off the transmission route. The project aims to develop a fast, convenient and sensitive detection system using RPA and CRISPR/Cas12a technologies. Early detection of the hepatitis B virus allows patients to learn about their infection as early as possible, which is a way to control the source of infection and cut off the transmission pathway.
Optimization of Surface Hydrophilicity and Hydrophobicity of Digital Microfluidic Chips and Its Applications
Digital microfluidics (DMF) is an advanced microfluidic technology that utilises the manipulation of tiny droplets (usually nanolitres) for chemical reactions, bioassays and sample processing, and is highly flexible and versatile, and widely used in precision medicine and biosensing. However, chip surface modification still suffers from uneven hydrophobic coating and poor adhesion, etc. The project aims to optimise the spin-coating process of Cytop coatings, which improves the bonding strength of hydrophobic Cytop coatings to chips. Meanwhile, the project also explores a combination of plasma cleaning and PET masking to achieve the modification of functional regions on the chip surface, which will meet the demand for multifunctional chips for high-throughput bioassays in the future.