Improving cancer therapy by combining cell biological, physical, and molecular targeting strategies

Successful cancer therapy depends on selective killing of tumor cells while sparing normal cells. Selectivity can be achieved through treatment strategies that target tumor cells. A recent report from the Li laboratory （1） describes an elegant strategy to selectively kill tumor cells by combining several targeting strategies based on cell biological, physical, and molecular （genetic） properties of tumor and normal cells that enhances tumor cell killing in vitro and in an in vivo tumor xenograft model. The idea of using a multiplex targeting approach is reminiscent of strategies in which several antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections while minimizing the chance that rare antibiotic-resistant mutants will arise within a population.

Molecular neuro-oncology and development of targeted therapeutic strategies for brain tumors

Brain tumors are a diverse group of malignancies that remain refractory to conventional treatment approaches.Molecular neuro-oncologyhas now begun to clarify the transformed phenotype of brain tumors and identify oncogenic pathways that might be amenable to targetedtherapy.Activity of the phosphoinositide 3;kinase(PI3K)/Akt pathway is often upregulated in brain tumors due to excessive stimu-lation by growth factor receptors and Ras.Loss of function of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN also frequently contributesto

Strategy for Use of Rice Blast Resistance Genes in Rice Molecular Breeding

Rice blast is one of the most destructive diseases affecting rice production worldwide.The development and rational use of resistant varieties has been the most effective and economical measure to control blast.In this review,we summarized the cloning and utilization of rice blast resistance genes,such as Pi1,Pi2,Pi9,Pi54,Pigm and Piz-t.We concluded that three main problems in the current breeding of rice blast resistance are:availability of few R(resistance)genes that confer resistance to both seedling and panicle blast,the resistance effect of pyramided lines is not the result of a simple accumulation of resistance spectrum,and only a few R genes have been successfully used for molecular breeding.Therefore,novel utilization strategies for rice blast R genes in molecular breeding were proposed,such as accurately understanding the utilization of R genes in main modern rice varieties,creating a core resistant germplasm with excellent comprehensive traits,screening and utilizing broadspectrum and durable resistance gene combinations.Lastly,the trends and possible development direction of blast resistance improvement were also discussed,including new genes regulating resistance identified via GWAS(genome-wide association study)and improving rice blast resistance using genetic editing.

Advances in Understanding Cadmium Stress and Breeding of Cadmium-Tolerant Crops

Cadmium(Cd) pollution has emerged as a critical global environmental concern, due to its significant toxicity, environmental persistence, and the pervasiveness of contamination. Significantly, the bioaccumulation of Cd in agricultural crops constitutes a primary vector for its entry into the human diet. This issue warrants urgent attention from both the scientific community and policymakers to develop and implement effective mitigation strategies. This review delves into the physiological impacts of Cd stress on plants, including the suppression of photosynthetic activity, amplification of oxidative stress, and disruptions in mineral nutrient homeostasis. Additionally, the resistance mechanisms deployed by plants in response to Cd stress have been explored, and the prospective contributions of molecular breeding strategies in augmenting crop tolerance to Cd and minimizing its bioaccumulation have been assessed. By integrating and analyzing these findings, we seek to inform future research trajectories and proffer strategic approaches to enhance agricultural sustainability, safeguard human health, and protect environmental integrity.

Two-dimensional molecular crystalline semiconductors towards advanced organic optoelectronics

The compelling demand for higher performance and lower cost in the optoelectronics industry has driven the development of organic semiconductors.Molecular crystalline semiconductors(MCSs),especially two-dimensional MCSs(2D-MCSs),possess intrinsic ordered structure,quantum confinement effect,high mobility,unique optical and electrical properties,and more ecological and cheaper production,which make great promises in high-performance optoelectronic applications.Here we provide a review of design principles and synthetic strategies for 2D-MCS materials,exploiting their potential as a revolution option in associated optoelectronic devices.The merits and limitations of each strategy are presented,and these molecular crystals are considered as a competitive choice for emerging semiconducting materials in information science.Finally,the current challenges and future perspectives in this field are also elaborated.

Development of organic redox-active materials in aqueous flow batteries: Current strategies and future perspectives

Aqueous redox flow batteries,by using redox-active molecules dissolved in nonflammable water solutions as electrolytes,are a promising technology for grid-scale energy storage.Organic redox-active materials offer a new opportunity for the construction of advanced flow batteries due to their advantages of potentially low cost,extensive structural diversity,tunable electrochemical properties,and high natural abundance.In this review,we present the emergence and development of organic redox-active materials for aqueous organic redox flow batteries(AORFBs),in particular,molecular engineering concepts and strategies of organic redox-active molecules.The typical design strategies based on organic redox species for high-capacity,high-stability,and high-voltage AORFBs are outlined and discussed.Molecular engineering of organic redox-active molecules for high aqueous solubility,high chemical/electrochemical stability,and multiple electron numbers as well as satisfactory redox potential gap between the redox pair is essential to realizing high-performance AORFBs.Beyond molecular engineering,the redoxtargeting strategy is an effective way to obtain high-capacity AORFBs.We further discuss and analyze the redox reaction mechanisms of organic redox species based on a series of electrochemical and spectroscopic approaches,and succinctly summarize the capacity degradation mechanisms of AORFBs.Furthermore,the current challenges,opportunities,and future directions of organic redox-active materials for AORFBs are presented in detail.

Understanding energetic disorder in electron-deficient-core-based non-fullerene solar cells

Recent advances in material design for organic solar cells(OSCs)are primarily focused on developing near-infrared nonfullerene acceptors,typically A-DA′D-A type acceptors(where A abbreviates an electron-withdrawing moiety and D,an electron-donor moiety),to achieve high external quantum efficiency while maintaining low voltage loss.However,the charge transport is still constrained by unfavorable molecular conformations,resulting in high energetic disorder and limiting the device performance.Here,a facile design strategy is reported by introducing the"wing"(alkyl chains)at the terminal of the DA′D central core of the A-DA′D-A type acceptor to achieve a favorable and ordered molecular orientation and therefore facilitate charge carrier transport.Benefitting from the reduced disorder,the electron mobilities could be significantly enhanced for the"wing"-containing molecules.By carefully changing the length of alkyl chains,the mobility of acceptor has been tuned to match with that of donor,leading to a minimized charge imbalance factor and a high fill factor(FF).We further provide useful design strategies for highly efficient OSCs with high FF.

A-π-A structured non-fullerene acceptors for stable organic solar cells with efficiency over 17%

With the development of photovoltaic materials, especially the small molecule acceptors(SMAs), organic solar cells(OSCs)have made breakthroughs in power conversion efficiencies(PCEs). However, the stability of high-performance OSCs remains a critical challenge for future technological applications. To tackle the inherent instability of SMA materials under the ambient conditions, much effort has been made to improve OSCs stability, including device modification and new materials design. Here we proposed a new electron acceptor design strategy and developed a “quasi-macromolecule”(QM) with an A-π-A structure,where the functionalized π-bridge is used as a linker between two SMAs(A), to improve the long-term stability without deteriorating device efficiencies. Such type of QMs enables excellent synthetic flexibility to modulate their optical/electrochemical properties, crystallization and aggregation behaviors by changing the A and π units. Moreover, QMs possess a unique long conjugated backbone combining high molecular weight over 3.5 k Da with high purity. Compared with the corresponding SMA BTP-4F-OD(Y6-OD), the devices based on newly synthesized A-π-A type acceptors QM1 and QM2 could exhibit better device stability and more promising PCEs of 17.05% and 16.36%, respectively. This kind of “molecular-framework”(A-π-A)structure provides a new design strategy for developing high-efficiency and-stability photovoltaic materials.

Oxygen as an oxidant in rhodium(III) catalyzed oxidative C–H/C–H cross-coupling between indoles and oxazoles

A Rh(III)-catalyzed oxidative C–H/C–H cross-coupling between indoles and oxazoles with molecular oxygen as an oxidant has been developed to construct a variety of 2-(indol-2-yl)oxazoles. The chelation-assisted strategy endows this catalytic system with an excellent C2-site selectivity by introducing a pyrimidyl directing group. In addition, polycyclic pyridinium salts are also obtained via Rh(III)-catalyzed C–H activation/cyclization of 2-(indol-2-yl)oxazoles with alkynes.