The pioneering work that led to the creation of the field of femtochemistry has revolutionized science and technology. Ahmed Zewail’s seminal studies to understand fundamental processes have had profound impacts well beyond traditional boundaries, extending into biology and medicine. This work illuminates our understanding of simple and complex molecular systems including the dynamics of genetic material and the molecular basis of anticancer drugs. Moreover, his quest for new knowledge and passion for learning has been a source of inspiration for me and many others to push the frontiers of science and technology. In this lecture, I will discuss recent advances in genetic instability induced by DNA conformations as well as molecular mechanisms of small molecule-induced DNA damage. For example, we have investigated the formation of dynamic non-B DNA secondary structures within the promoter region of disease-linked genes as well as the molecular mechanisms of DNA-reactive drugs that alter biological processes and cause DNA damage. The research described here will offer new avenues for future work to observe real-time biological changes.

Pushing the frontiers of DNA chemistry: Structure, dynamics, and function

256th National Meeting (2018)

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