Rouge Research Group: ChemBioChem Cover — Joe Luciani

Bringing a highly conceptual biochemical transformation to life requires bridging the gap between artistic metaphor and precise molecular function. Finding that metaphor is always a highly collaborative effort with my wife, Jessica, and her Rouge Research Group at UConn Chemistry within UConn. Once we decided to anchor this composition around the classic theater masks to illustrate the "unmasking" of DNAzyme surfactants for ChemBioChem, I dove into the 3D modeling. The research focused on how these DNAzymes assemble onto nanocapsules, forming a protective layer that engages the cell's exterior. Once inside, the capsule breaks down to release DNAzyme dimers that escape into the cytosol to cleave specific mRNA targets, ultimately converting a diseased cell into a healthier one. To represent this transformation, the dark, weeping mask of tragedy serves as the diseased state on the cell's exterior, which transitions seamlessly across a lipid bilayer into a vibrant, healthy cross-section of organelles. I generated the protective nanocapsules and activated DNAzyme dimers digitally, blending the theatrical metaphor with rigorous molecular function for the front cover.

Publication Reference: Hartmann, A. K.; Cairns-Gibson, D. F.; Santiana, J. J.; Tolentino, M.; Barber, H. M.; Rouge, J. L. Enzymatically ligated DNA-surfactants: Unmasking Hydrophobically Modified DNA for Intracellular Gene Regulation, ChemBioChem, 2018, 19, 1734-1739. DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800302